Overview
The project AIM4IT focuses on a public transport system which is inclusive and fair to all groups of society. The project pursues a holistic approach which reflects both the user point of view as well as the service provider perspective. Seen from a passenger`s perspective it becomes obvious that it is not enough to individually improve accessibility of a single transportation system. It is rather the interchanges within the system as well as the change-over to other modes of transportation which needs to be improved reflecting the special requirements of persons with special needs. The overall objective is a complete an unrestricted use of a fully integrated cross modal public transportation along the complete mobility chain without any barriers which exclude persons with special needs from public transport usage (e.g. for a wheel-chair user there is no elevator in a station building).
Every mobility chain is accompanied by an information chain. Especially passengers with special mobility needs have to be informed in due time about their departure times and their changeover times at interchange stations. This information not only need to be up to date but also represented in an understandable manner. Relevant information needs to presented to the passenger in optical, acoustical and/or tactile form-at least as a combination of two modes.
The project aim4it tackles this challenge and combines competences of a multidisciplinary project team to develop a novel intermodal pre-/on- and post-trip transport information system (ITIS). This holistic travel companion includes information representation which is explicitly tailored to the specific requirements of passengers with special needs. Information will be displayed in sign language for deaf and hard of hearing passengers and other user groups such as wheel chair users obtain information which matters to them. Special attention is paid to connection protection for passengers with special needs to reflect their longer change-over times at interchange stations. This increases perceived service quality and is a strong argument for increased usage of public transportation which makes a contribution to an improved carbon footprint of our society.