The Study of Shared-Autonomous Vehicle Design Concept for Urban Public Transportation in Indonesia

An integrated public transport system in the urban areas has been a great challenge in Indonesia, especially regarding connectivity between the mass transport modes with the first mile/last mile (FMLM) transport. This study discusses the application of universal design (UD) for future urban public transport in Indonesia which will be based on electrically powered autonomous vehicles (AV). The universal design concept of AV coupled with the sharing economy concept will allow the realization of a transport system that is both eco-friendly and user-friendly. The sharing economy will optimize the consumption pattern by preventing the occurrence of excessive usage of resources and underutilized assets. The concept of UD involves seven principles approach which covers equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, size and space for approach and use. The design concept illustrates the application of UD and sharing economy through the design of smartphone platform applications, AV fleets, supporting infrastructure tailored for AV operation, and ideation. The applicability of UD and sharing economy in the future urban AV will increase the possibility of its adoption in the public transport system. The concept will define the features necessary for an ideal scenario of the ideation process. Furthermore, accessibility is the key to the UD approach, as the principle will allow not only people with special needs but a wide range of users to use it more easily. The application of this concept, in the end, will induce urban population to use public transport instead of private vehicles that create traffic congestion.