While plenty of new buses, trains, trams and subways are integrating more widely accessible features, inspiration can come from a concept like this Bus Bell by Jinwon Heo. It's common only to find one or two handicap buttons in public transportation carriages, and this designer's vision is to put these everywhere.
Indeed, everywhere you would find your regular 'Stop' button, an accessible button would be immediately adjacent. A passenger without special needs would press the red square that pictures a standing person; meanwhile, someone who is pregnant, in a wheelchair, or with a walker, a cane or a stroller would press the larger white button beside it. With that alert, the driver would know to slow down with more care, to lower a ramp, or even to halt next to a slope for a handicapped passenger's convenience.
Accessible Transit Signals
The Bus Bell Alerts Drivers When Special Needs Passengers Are Exiting
Trend Themes
1. Widely Accessible Features - Expanding the integration of widely accessible features in public transportation presents opportunities for inclusive design and improved passenger experiences.
2. Enhanced Accessibility Buttons - Developing enhanced accessibility buttons that cater to specific needs, such as buttons for pregnant individuals, wheelchair users, or those with strollers, can improve safety and convenience for passengers.
3. Driver-alert Systems - Implementing driver-alert systems that notify bus drivers of special needs passengers can enhance overall safety and ensure appropriate assistance is provided.
Industry Implications
1. Public Transportation - The public transportation industry can benefit from embracing inclusive design and implementing new technologies that enhance accessibility.
2. Design - The design industry can play a crucial role in creating innovative and user-friendly solutions for inclusive public transportation.
3. Technology - The technology industry can develop driver-alert systems and other innovations that improve the safety and efficiency of public transportation for all passengers.