Analysis of the Discomfort Feeling of Standing Bus Passengers on the TEOR T1 Rouen Bus Lane

Within the ANGO project, funded by French national program PREDIT, aiming at improving the guidance system of TEOR High Level of Service Bus, one of the objectives was to test a few dynamic criteria that could explain the discomfort feeling experienced by standing passengers. Twelve subjects (7F & 5 M), aged from 20 to 68, were observed during 15 sessions of an approximate duration of 10 minutes in the trailer of an articulated bus during a normal service in the city of Rouen. For half of the sessions, the bus was in the general traffic; for the others, on a bus only lane. For each session, the subjects could push two buttons on a handle: one, if they felt uncomfortable; and the other, in case of a start of balance loss. Their actions on the buttons were recorded synchronously (100 Hz) with the videos of their posture and with the bus parameters (6 axis inertial central, data from bus CAN, GPS). Five subject configurations were considered while standing: holding a grab pole facing forward and sideward; leaning against a buttock rest facing forward, sideward and rearward. At the end of each session, the subjects filled questionnaires on their configurations. These measurements allow us to identify of a comfort/discomfort zone transition in terms of amplitude and direction of acceleration. The effects of the subjects’ configurations and of the bus only lane section on the comfort feeling are studied. The best posture for the standing subject seems to face backward and lean against a support (from all tested). This observation can be physically explained and is confirmed by the questionnaires. Theses results can help the bus interiors and bus lanes design.