Psychological Design Factors in Urban Public Transportation Vehicles

Abstract

Urban growth, pollution, and fuel shortages among other factors are causing the United States to place increased reliance on public transportation systems to meet daily travel requirements. Recent trends in transportation have shown a reluctance to accept public transportation as a viable alternative to the automobile. Even some advanced systems such as BART have not been well received. A major source of this reluctance has been attributed to the failure to successfully meet the psychological needs and preferences of the traveler in designing passenger compartments of public vehicles. A discussion is presented on important psychological variables such as personal space, situation control, esthetics, perceived safety, privacy, and forced interaction with other travelers. Recommendations are given for improving the design of urban public transportation vehicles.

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