The bus and bus stop of the future

Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort, 23 February 2016: Just managed to catch the bus – but unfortunately got on the wrong one? Passengers who are unsure or have questions, and who are concerned about unfamiliar barriers when using buses and trains? There are countless factors that can prevent people from using public transport with ease. This is particularly true for people with physical, mental or cognitive impairments. At IT Trans – the leading international specialist trade fair for IT trends and innovations in public transport – taking place from 1 to 3 March 2016 in Karlsruhe, researchers from Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, together with their project partners, will be presenting ‘Mobile – mobile in life’ (Hall 1, Stand G8).

“At our stand, we will be showcasing fully functional prototypes and providing an overview of our work to date,” explains Prof. Dr Christian Ressel, project leader at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences. To this end, researchers from the Faculty of Communication and Environment are setting up a model of a bus and a bus stop and testing their devices on it. “Using a scenario, we will demonstrate specialised user interfaces for route planning and navigation from the customer’s perspective, and explain in detail how localisation works using optical markers, as well as the use of ‘Bluetooth beacons’ and ‘wearable gadgets’. “For transport operators, we outline the technical framework and the opportunities for a more accessible transport service.”

In short, this means a self-explanatory navigation system is being presented, which will run on smartphones, tablets and smartwatches and is designed to simplify the use of public transport. “The programme can locate people and guide them to the correct locations, identify vehicles and stops, and provide real-time information on delays, track and route changes,” says Prof. Dr Christian Ressel.

The project is being developed in collaboration with the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, SWK Stadtwerke Krefeld AG, moBiel GmbH in Bielefeld, Bethel.regional on behalf of the v. Bodelschwingh Bethel Foundations, Bielefeld – an organisation supporting people with special needs – and the healthcare provider inoges/Salvea in Krefeld. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) until 30 September 2016, following a resolution by the German Bundestag. The results of the project will also form the basis for a planned roll-out amongst the project partners. The implementation of the project results is to be extended to the entire bus and rail network and eventually introduced as standard.