Advancing accessibility of digital transport services report

Advancing accessibility of digital transport services

Digitalization enables novel service concepts for transport: Mobility as a Service

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MaaS brings new transport operators to market

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Digitalization also modifies traditional transport services and their customer interfaces

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Digital transport services need to be targeted to all user groups

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• New digital transport services are being develop as we speak

• Companies developing the new services need to be informed about accessibility requirements and accessibility data as soon as possible.

Accessible digital transport services benefit wide range of users

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• Blind, severely visually impaired, deaf-blind• Partially sighted and color-blind• People with learning and reading disabilities• Elderly• Hard-of-hearing people• People with dexterity• Users of mobile devices and old computers with slow network connectivity (text

only)• Wheelchair users and others with physical disability

User groups for accessible digital transport services

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Holistic accessibility is needed in digital transport services

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• Initial incentives and support are needed in order to encourage disabled people to widely use MaaS,

• Good usability for all enables MaaS to be used as a solution for the social transportations provided by government in Finland.

Development of Mobility as a Service should focus on the users

• Accessibility of MaaS is best guaranteed by including different user groups into the different phases of the development.

• Digitalization also enables the user to take part in producing accessibility data on the travel routes.

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1. Accessibility data of vehicles and infrastructure for digital transport services

Accessibility data needs to be part of MaaSTo provide accessible travel routes:

• Key decisions are: what is the accuracy of the accessibility data in the transport routes and how is the data described.

• Data on the special needs of the passenger needs to be delivered from MaaS-service to the producers of transport services.

• It s vital to clarify the responsibilities regarding the accessibility of the service: what is the responsibility of the MaaS-operator; accessibility of vehicles, accuracy of the data, malfunctions and disruptions?

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• Accessibility data on the vehicles and infrastructure needs to transfer as an integral part of the data package provided by the transport operators to MaaS operators and eventually to customers.

• Existing accessibility data needs to be taken into use rapidly. Accessibility data needs to be part of the data available though open interfaces

Example of accessibility data needed in travel routes

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What accessibility data is needed?

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2. Designing accessible user interface for digital transport services

• Additional services, e.g., call centers and alternative sales channels, are needed for those who cannot use digital services.

• Responsibilities in organizing such additional services need to be thoroughly analyzed.

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• The sales and information on the MaaS and traditional transport services will be offered in digital form.

• Then, there is a threat that customers that cannot use mobile devices due to age, disability, language skills, or other reasons, are marginalized

• Accessibility should be the target for the user interfaces of digital transport services from the very start. Then, widest possible customer group can use the service and the additional costs are minimal.

Digital transport services to be accessible and usable for all

Users’ accessibility needs for digital services

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WCAG 2.0: guideline for developing accessible digital services• WCAG 2.0: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.• Broad set of guidelines and best practices intended for improving the accessibility of web

content• Applicable for other digital contents and services as well• Target is to have the content and service accessible for broad group of people with different

disabilities• Following the guidelines often improves the overall usability f the web content

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Developing accessible mobile applications• Two main approaches for developing

mobile applications: native apps and web-based apps

• Native apps developed for Apple iOS operating system typically end up having good level of accessibility

• Android and Windows offer less automatic accessibility features

• The developers using Web-technologies often lack skills to design highly accessible apps

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I do not use a smart phone. What then?

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Support centers Call centers Digital audioservices

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3. Summary

• In Finland more than 19 % are disabled and 1,2 Million people are over 65 years old.Barriers in using transport services cause barriers in contributing and participating equally into society.

• More and more transport services are purchased online. Simultaneously, personal customer service is reduced in terminals, service centers and call centers. Then, there is a threat that customers that cannot use mobile devices due to age, disability, language skills, or other reasons, are marginalized

• The accessibility of MaaS-service includes the complete travel route from the purchase of the ticket until the last form of transportation. Accessibility has not been considered in the first MaaS-pilots launched in Finland.

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Transport services are intended for all

• To provide accessible travel routes accessibility data on the vehicles and infrastructure needs to transfer as an integral part of the data package provided by the transport operators to MaaS operators and eventually to customers.

• Existing accessibility data needs to be taken into use rapidly. Accessibility data needs to be part of the data available though open interfaces

• Data on the special needs of the passenger needs to be delivered from MaaS-service to the producers of transport services.

• Accessibility should be the target for the user interfaces of digital transport services from the very start. Then, widest possible customer group can use the service and the additional costs are minimal.

• Additional services, e.g., call centers and alternative sales channels, are needed for those who cannot use digital services. Responsibilities in organizing such additional services need to be thoroughly analyzed.

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Principles of accessible MaaS

Main actions for producing accessible transport services

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Further information

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Sakari Somerpalo sakari.somerpalo@linea.fi

Terhi Tamminen terhi.tamminen@avaava.fi

Petteri Alinikulapetteri.alinikula@allikko.com