MORE ACCESSIBLE BUS STOPS TO PROMOTE INTELLIGENT, INNOVATIVE, INTEGRATED BUS SYSTEMS

3iBS - the Intelligent, Innovative, Integrated Bus Systems (2012 – 2015) is a research project funded by the European Commission (EC) within the 7th Framework Program. Although often perceived as poorly attractive and unreliable, buses are central in the development of sustainable mobility options in urban areas. Therefore, 3iBS moves from this assumption to promote a new generation of vehicles and related facilities, and propose solutions and actions to revamp this mode across Europe. However increased performance, attractiveness and efficiency are not sufficient if the goal is to make of this mode a travel option for all. Within 3iBS this is largely acknowledged and within the key research activity “Bus Systems Accessibility and Safety” specific emphasis is placed on the study of the main criteria to design vehicles and related facilities to create a bus system accessible for all. Focusing on a very important topic within this research activity, i.e. the design of bus stops as a crucial element to improve the quality and accessibility of bus services, the paper describes the many conflicts to solve behind it. Among these are: (i) the need to meet a number of specific requirements due to common activities (waiting, boarding, alighting, etc) performed by very different users, under different circumstances and in different environments, which may lead to contrasting results; (ii) the lack of standardized universal design criteria which still prevent from enforcing the compulsory installation of fully inclusive facilities, components, products for transit; and (iii) the poor control over the single transit operators when upgrading the network facilities (from simple bus markers, to shelters, hubs and terminals) which leads just to the basic, generic provision of equipments to overcome architectural barriers, thus far from turning such facilities into really inclusive environments. Therefore, the rehabilitation of bus stops serves as a case to stress the need to have common, univocal directions to design and operate inclusive bus facilities as part of a general process which makes accessibility one of the key features of this new generation of bus systems. Consequently, general 3iBS guidelines and specific recommendations for implementation of innovations in this field are provided at the end of the paper.