Developing a real time passenger information system for rural areas

Abstract

Passengers in rural areas are provided with little or no information regarding public transport disruptions. This can result in high levels of travel uncertainty with significant potential to affect travel behaviour. This paper, through 52 interviews, and 7 focus groups in rural areas in Scotland and England, explores the passenger experience, and the technology usage of individuals during disruption. The analysis indicates that a wide range of behavioural responses are evident, extending well beyond the choice of route or mode of transport. Further, we identify that the individual utilises various technologies (e.g. social media), and kinship networks to insulate against the effects of disruption. In addition, we present the co-design process of a set of technologies (a smartphone application and and an SMS service) that aim to improve the passenger exprience during disruption. This work provides an initial step towards understanding the interplay between disruption, passenger experience, and the design space for improving the passenger experience of individuals during disruption. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.