Ensuring accessibility in SUPERHUB: a multimodal urban mobility platform for European cities

SUPERHUB is an European Mobility project that aims to implement measures to improve urban mobility and encourage environmentally friendly travel behavior by providing an Advanced Transport Information Service (ATIS) to users where real-time mobility options can be ranked according to their profile and preferences. Users will be able to make informed decisions on the mode of transport they use in urban situations as well as highlighting any accessibility issues by reporting them to the transport providers and to others with a similar profile. The primary aim of SUPERHUB is not as a specialized accessibility system, however, a User Centred Design (UCD) Approach was adopted to ensure the system will be useful to everyone. A series of Focus Groups and interviews with people with physical and sensory impairments was held as part of this process. This paper describes some of the issues people with a visual, hearing or mobility impairment face when accessing and using public transport and some possible technical solutions that an ATIS such as SUPERHUB may be able to provide for those with disabilities. We describe here some preliminary findings of the Focus Groups and interviews we carried out in the UK, Milan, Barcelona and Helsinki and suggest some functionality that could be implemented by applications such as SUPERHUB to provide better information and support to increase the accessibility of Public Transport.