Evaluation of a GPS-Based System for Supporting Independent Use of Public Transportation by Adults With Intellectual Disability

Abstract People with intellectual disability often have support needs related to navigating their communities using public transportation. Specialized transportation resources such as paratransit programs or adult service agency transportation are costly and generally non-inclusive. This paper describes a study examining the impact of a GPS-based system called WayFinder operating on mainstream smartphone device on the independent use of public transportation systems by people with intellectual disability. Specifically, the impact of the system on number of training trials for independent navigation of a novel bus route (vs. traditional training procedures) and generalization to another novel route were examined. Additionally, the bus ridership and financial impacts were examined in a city where a provider organization and the public bus system were adopting WayFinder to support people with intellectual disability to access fixed-route bus systems. Implications and recommendations for future research and practice are described.

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Virus Transmission Risk in Urban Rail Systems: Microscopic Simulation-Based Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Characteristics

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.1177/03611981211010181 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 036119812110101

Author(s):

Jiali Zhou ◽

Haris N. Koutsopoulos

Keyword(s):

Public Transportation ◽

Virus Transmission ◽

Flow Characteristics ◽

Transportation Systems ◽

Transmission Risk ◽

Microscopic Simulation ◽

Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽

Subway System ◽

Public Transportation Systems ◽

The Impact

The transmission risk of airborne diseases in public transportation systems is a concern. This paper proposes a modified Wells-Riley model for risk analysis in public transportation systems to capture the passenger flow characteristics, including spatial and temporal patterns, in the number of boarding and alighting passengers, and in number of infectors. The model is used to assess overall risk as a function of origin–destination flows, actual operations, and factors such as mask-wearing and ventilation. The model is integrated with a microscopic simulation model of subway operations (SimMETRO). Using actual data from a subway system, a case study explores the impact of different factors on transmission risk, including mask-wearing, ventilation rates, infectiousness levels of disease, and carrier rates. In general, mask-wearing and ventilation are effective under various demand levels, infectiousness levels, and carrier rates. Mask-wearing is more effective in mitigating risks. Impacts from operations and service frequency are also evaluated, emphasizing the importance of maintaining reliable, frequent operations in lowering transmission risks. Risk spatial patterns are also explored, highlighting locations of higher risk.

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Impact of Bus Routes on Crash Frequency in Metropolitan Areas

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.1177/0361198120910739 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2674 (3) ◽

pp. 305-316 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Renato Guadamuz ◽

Vikash V. Gayah ◽

Rajesh Paleti

Keyword(s):

Public Transportation ◽

Parametric Method ◽

Transportation Systems ◽

Safety Performance ◽

Transportation Safety ◽

Crash Frequency ◽

Transit Systems ◽

Input Variables ◽

Public Transportation Systems ◽

The Impact

Although research in transportation safety is abundant, very few studies have examined the relationship between public transportation systems and safety performance. Most studies on the subject have focused on the impact of infrastructure countermeasures related to bus rapid transit systems. However, the impact of city-street buses on safety performance remains unknown. This research explores the pseudo-causal impact of the presence of bus routes and bus traffic on observed crash frequencies by developing safety performance functions (SPFs) that include the presence of a bus route and estimated weekly bus traffic as input variables. The SPFs were developed using the propensity score–potential outcomes (PS-PO) framework to reduce unobserved biases that might exist between segments that have and do not have bus routes. The results suggest that PS-PO reduced standardized biases significantly, allowing stronger causal inferences to be obtained. The results revealed that the presence of a bus route was associated with a 27% increase in expected crash frequency after controlling for other infrastructure-related variables. Weekly bus traffic was also found to be a significant predictor of overall crash frequency, with a 1% increase in ] weekly bus traffic associated with an expected increase in crash frequency of 0.016%. A non-parametric approach is also presented for comparison with the results from the SPFs; this confirmed the findings from the parametric method used.

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Investigating the effects of two fragrances on cabin comfort in an automotive environment

Work ◽

10.3233/wor-208009 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 68 (s1) ◽

pp. S101-S110

Author(s):

Alexandre Gentner ◽

Giuliano Gradinati ◽

Carole Favart ◽

Kojo Sarfo Gyamfi ◽

James Brusey

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Public Transportation ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Transportation Systems ◽

Future Research ◽

Ambient Light ◽

Major Interest ◽

Comfort Perception ◽

The One ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND: For passengers in private or public transportation systems, comfort is a major interest. Available comfort models are already used to correlate thermal comfort to influencing factors. However, the available models do not other sensory comfort aspect and specific influences as fragrances and ambient light. OBJECTIVE: This publication investigates the impact of fragrances with “warm” and “cold” associated meanings on thermal and overall comfort perception. METHODS: Human subject trials (n = 47) were performed in different temperature-controlled environments following a 3×3 within-subject design considering ambient fragrance (“neutral scent”, “peppermint”, “orange & cinnamon”) and ambient light as variables. RESULTS: Olfactory comfort is shown to have the larger effect on overall comfort perception, comparable in weight to the one of thermal comfort. The impact observed on thermal sensation was in line with the meanings associated the fragrances, whereas it was positive on thermal comfort appreciation regardless of the type of fragrance diffused. CONCLUSIONS: These initial results suggest that olfactory stimulations have the potential to positively impact thermal and overall comfort. The appreciation of the fragrance appears to have a major impact on these interactions and should be deeply considered in future research and features development.

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