400
K. Gawhade et al.
taken by them to board the bus [4]. For differently abled people, public transport
systems have been inaccessible for a long time, and conditions seem to get no better
soon. Pregnant women and women carrying infant faced difficulty while boarding
and deboarding buses and required aid of others for the same. High step hinders
the movement of normal passenger carrying heavy luggage which often leads to the
loss of balance which might lead to injury. These persistent problems of high floor
buses have reduced their acceptance as a mode of transport by the above-mentioned
sections of society.
Suen et al. calls mobility a key for independent living which is a right of every
human being and is as important as one’s independence. According to them, mobility
involving danger and undignified means is always unacceptable [5]. In India, a large
section of the population relies on public transportation for day-to-day journeys due
to unaffordability of private vehicles. Most of the Indian population live in rural areas
and where the only mode of mass transport is a bus. It was observed in the survey by
Rajamanickam that most elderly bus commuters belonged to low income group [3].
Hence, providing accessible transportation methods helps to increase the quality of
life especially among the elders and disabled and develops a feeling of freedom [6].
Low floor buses are the recent advancement to enhance the mobility of elderly and
disabled people. In these buses, entrances are provided at extremely low heights and
have no steps at entrance for easy movement of wheelchair bound travelers and other
commuters [7]. It was observed that women carrying their infants and commuters
with heavy luggage also preferred low floor bus as the need of external aid required
during boarding and deboarding was eliminated.
Kneeling buses are the latest development which improves mobility. This bus
lowers down to a height on one side by releasing the air from the air suspension
which make boarding and deboarding easier for commuters. Air suspension is again
filed with air to regain its operating height. This mechanism is controlled by the bus
driver through a button on the dashboard. Kneeling buses do not have stairs, and
wider doors are present resulting in efficient inflow and outflow of commuters [7].
Standard high floor buses have persistent problem of accessibility due to its high
first step. Chassis of high floor bus are at a height above the center of wheel which
eliminate the scope of reducing the height of the floor. Limited width of bus is the
reason for the steep staircase. According to government guidelines, first step of high
floor bus can have maximum height of 400 mm from the ground [8].
Despite of the problems associated with high floor buses, they remain popular as
compared to low floor bus and kneeling bus because of their larger seating capacity.
High floor buses are easy to maintain in contrast to other alternative bus types which
have compact complex system to provide low floor height. High floor buses have
a major advantage in the form of high fuel capacity due to high ground clearance
which allows transporter to plan long journey and makes them ideal for operating in
hilly and rural region where petrol pumps are scarce [9].
According to a global survey of buses, about 68% of the total bus fleet comprises
of high floor buses. In some countries like Japan and Finland, more than 90% of
the bus fleet are high floor bus in their total bus fleet [10]. Lifespan of a bus is
considered to be 12 years on average. Considering the enormous fleet of high floor
K. Gawhade et al.
taken by them to board the bus [4]. For differently abled people, public transport
systems have been inaccessible for a long time, and conditions seem to get no better
soon. Pregnant women and women carrying infant faced difficulty while boarding
and deboarding buses and required aid of others for the same. High step hinders
the movement of normal passenger carrying heavy luggage which often leads to the
loss of balance which might lead to injury. These persistent problems of high floor
buses have reduced their acceptance as a mode of transport by the above-mentioned
sections of society.
Suen et al. calls mobility a key for independent living which is a right of every
human being and is as important as one’s independence. According to them, mobility
involving danger and undignified means is always unacceptable [5]. In India, a large
section of the population relies on public transportation for day-to-day journeys due
to unaffordability of private vehicles. Most of the Indian population live in rural areas
and where the only mode of mass transport is a bus. It was observed in the survey by
Rajamanickam that most elderly bus commuters belonged to low income group [3].
Hence, providing accessible transportation methods helps to increase the quality of
life especially among the elders and disabled and develops a feeling of freedom [6].
Low floor buses are the recent advancement to enhance the mobility of elderly and
disabled people. In these buses, entrances are provided at extremely low heights and
have no steps at entrance for easy movement of wheelchair bound travelers and other
commuters [7]. It was observed that women carrying their infants and commuters
with heavy luggage also preferred low floor bus as the need of external aid required
during boarding and deboarding was eliminated.
Kneeling buses are the latest development which improves mobility. This bus
lowers down to a height on one side by releasing the air from the air suspension
which make boarding and deboarding easier for commuters. Air suspension is again
filed with air to regain its operating height. This mechanism is controlled by the bus
driver through a button on the dashboard. Kneeling buses do not have stairs, and
wider doors are present resulting in efficient inflow and outflow of commuters [7].
Standard high floor buses have persistent problem of accessibility due to its high
first step. Chassis of high floor bus are at a height above the center of wheel which
eliminate the scope of reducing the height of the floor. Limited width of bus is the
reason for the steep staircase. According to government guidelines, first step of high
floor bus can have maximum height of 400 mm from the ground [8].
Despite of the problems associated with high floor buses, they remain popular as
compared to low floor bus and kneeling bus because of their larger seating capacity.
High floor buses are easy to maintain in contrast to other alternative bus types which
have compact complex system to provide low floor height. High floor buses have
a major advantage in the form of high fuel capacity due to high ground clearance
which allows transporter to plan long journey and makes them ideal for operating in
hilly and rural region where petrol pumps are scarce [9].
According to a global survey of buses, about 68% of the total bus fleet comprises
of high floor buses. In some countries like Japan and Finland, more than 90% of
the bus fleet are high floor bus in their total bus fleet [10]. Lifespan of a bus is
considered to be 12 years on average. Considering the enormous fleet of high floor