Micro-Navigation for Urban Bus Passengers

Using the Internet of Things to Improve the Public Transport Experience

Conference paper (2014)

Authors

Stefan Foell Open University
Gerd Kortuem Open University
Reza Rawassizadeh Open University
Marcus Handte Universität Duisburg-Essen
Umer Iqbal Universität Duisburg-Essen
Pedro Jośe Marŕon Universität Duisburg-Essen
Affiliation
External organisation
Public transport Bus navigation Smartphone application
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Published Date

27-10-2014

Language

English

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Affiliation

External organisation

Abstract

Public bus services are widely deployed in cities around the world because they provide cost-effective and economic public transportation. However, from a passenger point of view urban bus systems can be complex and difficult to navigate, especially for disadvantaged users, i.e. tourists, novice users, older people, and people with impaired cognitive or physical abilities. We present Urban Bus Navigator (UBN), a reality-aware urban navigation system for bus passengers with the ability to recognize and track the physical public transport infrastructure such as buses. Unlike traditional location-aware mobile transport applications, UBN acts as a true navigation assistant for public transport users. Insights from a six-month long trial in Madrid indicate that UBN removes barriers for public transport usage and has a positive impact on how people feel about public transport journeys.