Wheelchair Users Can Board and Alight Through the Side Door
Call a Vehicle Using the Demand-Responsive Platform App
Hyundai Motor Company is taking steps to improve mobility for transportation-vulnerable individuals based on the demand-responsive transportation platform SHUCLE and the specially modified vehicle R1.
On the 1st, Hyundai announced that over the next five months, it will conduct a pilot service for transportation-vulnerable individuals using specially modified vehicles and the SHUCLE platform in Dongtan 1 New City, Hwaseong Special City, Gyeonggi Province.
In the case of existing call taxis for people with disabilities, wheelchair users had to board through a rear-opening door and travel seated in the third row. This caused discomfort in ride quality and the issue of being separated from accompanying passengers.
Hyundai provides mobility services for transportation-vulnerable individuals by utilizing the demand-responsive transportation SHUCLE platform together with the special transportation vehicle 'R1,' which is a modified ST1 based on universal design that allows wheelchair users to board through the second-row door.
The R1 features a lowered platform applied to the existing ST1 vehicle, an entrance that allows boarding through the side door while seated in a wheelchair, safety belts for wheelchair users, and adjustable seats. R1 is the only special transportation vehicle in Korea that enables wheelchair users to board through the side door while seated and travel alongside accompanying passengers.
Additionally, functions considerate of passengers with low vision and hearing impairments have been installed. By applying front and front/rear seat displays and a high-contrast screen switching function, passengers with low vision or hearing impairments can easily recognize the vehicle from outside. In particular, communication between the driver and passengers through the screen will greatly improve the travel experience for hearing-impaired passengers who have difficulty communicating.
A passenger with mobility difficulties boarding through the side door of the R1 vehicle. Photo by Hyundai Motor Company
Hyundai uses the SHUCLE platform for this pilot service. The SHUCLE platform is a demand-responsive transport service developed and operated by Hyundai Motor Company. When a user calls a vehicle, the vehicle travels to the destination along the optimal route. If a new call occurs during the trip, the ride-sharing algorithm reorganizes the route in real time or dispatches another vehicle so that passengers with similar routes can ride together.
In this pilot project, Hyundai has equipped the SHUCLE platform app with an electronic voucher function for the first time in Korea. The electronic voucher function simplifies administrative tasks such as receipt verification for operators, and users can also call vehicles through the app.
The 'SHUCLE Mobility Service for Transportation-Vulnerable Individuals' allows any Korean national certified as having a severe disability to ride free of charge up to twice a day, including up to two accompanying passengers. However, initial authentication through the SHUCLE app is required once.
Kim Soo-young, Executive Director of Hyundai Motor Mobility Business Division, said, "This pilot is meaningful in that it verifies a practical solution to the social issue of guaranteeing mobility rights for transportation-vulnerable individuals in cooperation with local governments. We will continue to strive to ensure that everyone can enjoy the freedom of movement through various solutions."
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