THE TRAVEL ASSISTANT DEVICE: UTILIZING GPS-ENABLED MOBILE PHONES TO AID TRANSIT RIDERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Recent advancements in mobile technology allow Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled cell phones provide a variety of real-time location-based services (LBS). This paper reports on the design, implementation, and testing of such a service, the Travel Assistant Device (TAD), that aids transit riders with special needs to use public transportation. TAD is a program that provides the rider with customized real-time audio, visual, and tactile prompts for when they should exit the transit vehicle by announcing “Get ready...” and “Pull the cord now!” Additionally, TAD provides alerts to riders, their caretakers, and travel trainers if a rider deviated from the planned route. A website allows easy access for the creation of new trip itineraries and also allows monitoring the rider’s location by authorized personnel in real-time from any computer. While the TAD was designed to aid transit riders with special needs to increase their level of independence and their care-takers level of security, any rider new to a transit system can use TAD for planning and executing trips with confidence and ease.