ABSTRACT
An evaluation was made of a weeklong demonstration trial of an electric bus operating in a small, historic town in the UK, to examine the extent to which the bus fulfilled the needs of sustainable transport provision.
The town has a steady stream of tourists who come in to the city centre on diverse forms of transport to visit tourist attractions and attend the theatre. The interaction between the various vehicular and pedestrian traffic is chaotic. Associated problems such as high levels of congestion, pollution and inconvenience have led some people to stop visiting the centre altogether. A survey was undertaken to gather insights into different facets of the transport problem and to determine the acceptability and usefulness of an electric Park and Ride (PnR) bus. In terms of the ergonomics of the bus, although passengers liked the new design and rated it more highly in terms of ride quality. Interviews and observations of the bus drivers revealed design problems with the layout and operational issues. The ‘near silence’ of the bus was a continual worry to the driver, requiring greater vigilance.
The study concluded with a set of recommendations for the transport provider, the council and vehicle designer. The hexagon spindle model of ergonomics (Benedyk, Woodcock and Harder 2009) is used to explain the findings and take a holistic approach to evaluation.
