Public transport challenges and technology-assisted accessibility for visually impaired elderly residents in urban environments

Abstract

Independent navigation is central to social participation and health for vulnerable populations. While historic cities such as Edinburgh often feature well-established public transport systems, urban accessibility challenges remain and are exacerbated by complex landscapes, especially for groups with multiple vulnerabilities such as the visually impaired elderly. With limited research examining how real-time data feeds and artificial intelligence in this context, we address this gap through a mixed-methods approach. Our spatio-temporal analyses make use of statistical and machine learning techniques to investigate network coverage, service patterns, and density profiles through live-recorded data. This is combined with a qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with the target group, as well as links to spatial cognition theory. The results demonstrate the highly centralised nature of the city's transport system, the significance of memory-based navigation, and the lack of travel information in usable formats. We also find that participants already use navigation technology to varying degrees and express a willingness to adopt artificial intelligence. Our findings highlight the importance of dynamic tools to meaningfully improve independent travel, as well as limitations due to the recurring problem of specific accessibility data, for example for facilities, often not being collected and stored.