Mobile Transit Information from Universal Design and Crowdsourcing

Extensive interviews with riders of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, bus system revealed that, as the top priority, riders wanted to know the actual arrival time of buses. Following a universal design approach, a system called Tiramisu was created to foster a greater sense of community between riders and transit bus service providers. The design focused on acquisition of crowdsourced information for bus location and bus fullness. On the basis of that input, the system predicted the arrival time of buses and provided a convenient platform for reporting problems and positive experiences within the transit system. The intention was to create a community of riders that materially participated in the delivery of the transit service. Tiramisu also supported specific information and reporting needs for riders with disabilities and thereby provided greater independent mobility around the community. An early field trial of Tiramisu suggested that the approach was both feasible and potentially viable

Mobile Transit Rider Information Via Universal Design and Crowdsourcing

Extensive interviews with riders of the Pittsburgh bus system revealed that, as the top priority, riders want to know the current location of buses. Using a universal design methodology, we designed a system, named Tiramisu, to foster a greater sense of community between riders and transit bus service providers. Our design focuses on crowd-sourcing acquisition of information about bus location and fullness, predicting the arrival time of buses, and providing a convenient platform for reporting problems and positive experiences within the transit system. This will create a user community of riders that are participating in the delivery of service. Tiramisu also supports specific information and reporting needs for riders with disabilities, thereby providing greater independent mobility around the community. Early field testing of Tiramisu suggests our approach is both feasible and potentially viable. In summary, Tiramisu is valuable enough for riders to commit time and effort to its use to produce a sustained user community</p

Modality Preference for Rider Reports on Transit Accessibility Problems

This paper reports on part of a larger effort towards development of a citizen science method to engage riders to document and assess problems and good solutions throughout the system. This model will empower riders, resulting in a greater understanding of the transportation system, and improve the feedback loop between rider and provider. It is important to know what types of multimedia data riders are comfortable and interested in using for reporting their observations. A 2x3 within-participants design was used to explore reporting modality for a full-scale simulated bus shelter scene. The examined factors included the modalities of the Notes (text, audio) and Media (none, photo, video). Data was collected on perceived ease of use, usefulness, social comfort, and overall preference. The results from two user groups, those without disabilities and those who use wheeled mobility devices, suggest that text with photo should be supported and that end users may not view video data as having additional value.</p