Title Page (with Author Details)

Facilitating Independent Commuting Among Individuals with Autism –

A Design Study in Singapore

Authors: Pei Yi Lim1, Penny Kong2, Henriette Cornet3, Fritz Frenkler4

Corresponding author: Pei Yi Lim

Address: Design for Autonomous Mobility, TUMCREATE Ltd.; 1 #10-02 Create Way,
CREATE Tower, 138602, Singapore

Email: peiyi.lim@tum-create.edu.sg1; penny.kong@tum-create.edu.sg2;

henriette.cornet@tum-create.edu.sg3; fritz.frenkler@tum.de4
CRediT author statement:

Pei Yi Lim: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Formal analysis, Writing

- Original Draft. Penny Kong: Methodology, Writing - Review & Editing. Henriette Cornet:
Supervision, Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing - Review & Editing. Fritz Frenkler:
Supervision.

Acknowledgements
This research was conducted with the supported of National Research Foundation (NRF)
Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise
(CREATE) program. We thank Rebekka Schaefer from TUMCREATE for her design concept
for the elderly population. With her permission, the concept has been adapted accordingly to
cater to the needs of individuals with autism.
Additionally, we would like to express our appreciation to all teachers from Rainbow Centre
for their help in reaching to parents and guardians for data collection, with special mention of
Dr Jarina who assisted in coordinating of the entire process. Additionally, we would like to
extend our gratitude to all parents or guardians who took part in the study.
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public,
commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Manuscript (without Author Details) Click here to view linked References

Facilitating Independent Commuting Among Individuals with Autism –

A Design Study in Singapore

Abstract
Introduction: In the hope of designing concepts for future transport systems, we would like
to understand more about the barriers and challenges faced by individuals with autism when
taking public transport in Singapore. However, the limited research studies exploring this
topic were all conducted abroad with different transport systems. This paper thus
investigates the barriers to public transport in Singapore’s context for individuals with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Methods: In collaboration with a special needs school, parents of students with ASD were
invited to complete the questionnaire online about their children’s travel experiences. From a
total of 25 parents, details of their children’s frequency of travel, independent public transport
experiences (if any) and challenges of independent commuting were examined. Based on
the survey findings, a requirement list was compiled as a basis for creating a design concept
to address public transport barriers of individuals with ASD.
Results: Key requirements summarised from the survey include quiet environments,
assistance in alighting, assistance in boarding, predictable travel routines, simplified ways to
ask for help, supervision or support, more visual aids, emergency buttons, learning to ask for
seats and priority seating. ViCo, a Virtual Companion at bus stops and in buses and trains is
proposed in the current paper to address the requirement list of individuals with ASD as
highlighted in the survey findings.
Conclusion: The proposed implementation of ViCo is expected to improve the commuting
experience of individuals with ASD, but can be extended to serve individuals with diverse
disabilities as well as people without disabilities.

Keyword: Autism Spectrum Disorder, public transport, virtual companion, special needs,
Singapore
 1 Facilitating Independent Commuting Among Individuals with Autism –
2 A Design Study in Singapore
3 1.1 Introduction
4 Transport mobility has been well supported in the literature for its positive association with
5 social inclusion and spatial access to various opportunities, including but not limited to jobs,
6 education, goods, and services (Berg & Ihlström, 2019; Kauffman et al. 2004; Thynell, 2017).
7 Such access has been known to play an essential and integral role in economic and social
8 development (Starkey & Hine, 2014). Beyond that, benefits of transport mobility are further
9 extended to psychosocial factors, such as well-being, quality of life, and heightened
10 autonomy (Spinney, Scott & Newbold, 2009; Vella-Brodrick & Stanley, 2013; Witter, 2012).

11 In 2019, Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore introduced the Land
12 Transport Master Plan (LTMP) 2040, which encapsulates their vision for a convenient, well-
13 connected, and inclusive land transport system that will meet the needs of its citizens (LTA,
14 2019). The key recommendations were grouped under three key themes – A 45-minute City
15 with 20-Minute Towns (i.e., accessing the city center within 45 minutes and the nearest
16 neighbourhood amenities within 20 minutes), Healthy Lives and Safer Journeys, and
17 Transport for All.

18 Under the theme “Transport for All”, the Singapore government has invested tremendous
19 efforts in numerous initiatives to build an inclusive public transport system. As part of the
20 LTMP 2040, additional priority queues, nursing rooms, and quiet rooms can be expected at
21 bus interchanges and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations in the future. Priority cabins, elder-
22 friendly seats, and Next-Generation Passenger Information Display with real-time
23 information about the upcoming bus stops will be added to buses and trains. Commuters
24 with invisible medical conditions may collect “Please Offer Me A Seat” visual identifiers from
25 the passenger service counter at MRT stations to alert fellow commuters that they require a
26 seat.
27 While the abovementioned measures are good efforts to offer a more inclusive transport
28 system, it is unclear if the needs of all vulnerable populations will be met. According to the
29 Disabled People’s Association Singapore, “persons with disabilities include those who have
30 long-term or intermittent physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments” (DPA, 2015).
31 However, most of the initiatives in LTMP40 address barriers related to physical mobility
32 issues and are less related to the other three types of impairments. For instance, difficulty
33 with orientation and navigation for individuals with cognitive impairments (Risser et al., 2015)
34 and difficulty with trip planning and boarding the right public transport for individuals with
35 autism spectrum disorder (Deka et al., 2016) will not be addressed with the LTMP2040
36 initiatives. Frye et al. (2011) pointed out that more can be done to increase confidence and
37 understanding of how public transport works, such as having an escort to provide guidance
38 or increase confidence in independent commuting for these individuals.
39 To understand the transport needs of individuals with other forms of impairments, this paper
40 examines the transport challenges and barriers of individuals with mental, intellectual or
41 sensory impairments – specifically individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
42 1.2 Literature review
43 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a life-long developmental disorder characterized by
44 challenges in social behaviours, communication, and repetitive behaviours (Dawson, 2008).
45 According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-5), hyper- or

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46 hypo-reactivity to sensory input is one possible symptom of ASD (Maenner et al., 2014).
47 Furthermore, among individuals with ASD, one’s ability to think and learn can vary from
48 highly skilled to severely challenged (Crespi, 2016).
49 It is noteworthy that several studies examining transport barriers recruited participants with
50 various forms of disabilities and disorders (Bezyak et al., 2017; Wasfi & Levinson, 2007).
51 While these studies can be helpful to get an overview of transport barriers, different
52 disabilities and disorders require a different set of assistance. Combining them within the
53 same sample group would dilute the findings of the needs of each vulnerable population,
54 especially if the sample size of each disability or disorder is not equal (Feely, 2010). For
55 instance, a study investigating transport barriers by Bezyak et al. (2017) consisted of 42.5%
56 of participants with mobility disability. The other 57.5% comprised a mix of five other
57 disability categories such as people with hearing impairment, communication disability, and
58 mental health disability. With a large proportion of participants with physical mobility issues,
59 findings thus centred upon mobility-related barriers, such as a gap or step leading to
60 vehicles or problems with lifts. Hence, the sample group for this study will be solely
61 individuals with ASD.
62 For adults with autism, independent mobility has been cited as one of the biggest barriers
63 preventing integration into society (Lubin & Feely, 2016; Zalewska et al., 2016). In Deka et
64 al.’s (2016) study comprising 703 adults with ASD, researchers examined the travel mode
65 used over three months. It was revealed that the most common travel modes were parents
66 or family members driving adults with ASD to their destination (35.9%) and walking (15.0%).
67 Meanwhile, public transport made up only 7.3% of total travel. This is further reinforced by
68 quotes from parents or individuals with various disabilities, such as “I am totally dependent
69 on husband & family for transportation” and “very seldom he goes anywhere without me, and
70 if he does, it's with another relative” (Wasfi & Levinson, 2007). These findings suggest that
71 there is a high dependence on family members for transportation, emphasizing the need to
72 promote heightened autonomy in the regards of transport mobility.
73 Currently, most studies that examine transport barriers look at the entire transport system,
74 including taxi and shuttle services (Deka et al., 2016; Feeley, 2010; Wasfi & Levinson,
75 2007). As private, call-for-hire cars and shuttle bus services tend to be the main form of
76 transport for vulnerable populations, the majority of findings from these studies focused on
77 these two transport modes with minimal input about public buses and trains. With the aim to
78 create an inclusive public transport that can reduce transport cost and improve personal
79 mobility independence, this study will thus focus on public bus and train usage only.
80 Furthermore, these studies are conducted in other countries, with barriers identified that are
81 not relevant to Singapore’s context. For instance, in Lubin and Feely’s (2016) study
82 conducted in New Jersey, “organizing fares ahead of time in envelopes” was cited as a
83 challenge for participants. Additionally, a similar study conducted in Minneapolis cited
84 concerns related to cost and accessibility (Wasfi & Levinson, 2007). These concerns are not
85 applicable in Singapore’s context as a contactless stored value card is adopted in Singapore
86 to replace the traditional coin payment mode and public transport is made affordable for
87 most of the population. Hence, transport barriers in this study will be explored in Singapore’s
88 context.
89 Overall, this paper aims to (i) address the gaps in the literature through understanding public
90 transport usage among individuals with ASD in Singapore; (ii) identify the barriers of
91 independent mobility that are deterring individuals from its use, and (iii) design concepts that
92 can improve accessibility of public transport for individuals with ASD. A Virtual Companion,
93 ViCo, was previously developed to assist elderly in public transport use (Schaefer, 2020).

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 94 This study will examine ways to improve ViCo so that its use can be extended to other
95 vulnerable populations. Details about ViCo will be elaborated upon in later parts of the paper
96 (section 3.3). In this paper, the term public transport will refer to only public buses and trains.
97 2. Methods
98 This study collects data through a survey with parents of students with ASD. Findings were
99 compiled into a requirement list, translating their transport barriers and challenges. Based on
100 this list, design concepts are proposed (Figure 1).

101
102 Figure 1. Study structure

103
104 Ethics approval was sought from the Institutional Review Board of the Nanyang
105 Technological University in Singapore before participant recruitment commenced (IRB-2019-
106 12-035), and all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and
107 institutional guidelines.
108 The current study was conducted in collaboration with Rainbow Centre, a special needs
109 school for individuals with various disabilities. Survey kits consisting of a brief description of
110 the research institution, study information, as well as a link to the survey questionnaire, were
111 printed and passed to the school. Special education teachers at Rainbow Centre distributed
112 these survey kits to parents and caregivers of students with ASD, inserting them within their
113 weekly communication journal booklets. Participation was anonymous and voluntary.
114 The survey questionnaire comprised questions adapted from multiple studies reviewed in the
115 literature review. Questions about travel modes, purpose, frequency, needs, challenges and
116 barriers were adapted from Wasfi and Levinson’s (2007) and Deka et al. (2016) study.
117 Questions about the learning difficulties of public transport use and impacts of ASD
118 symptoms on public transport usage were adapted from Feely’s (2010) study. Since the aim
119 of the study is to further improve upon the concept of ViCo (Schaefer, 2020) to cater to the
120 needs of individuals with ASD, the research team added a section querying parents for
121 features and ideas that can benefit their child’s public transport usage.
122 Upon receiving the survey kit, parents could access the survey questionnaire online.
123 Informed consent was obtained from the first page, before participants proceed to complete
124 subsequent sections of the survey. An online survey administrative application was used to
125 collect responses. Parents completed the survey questionnaire with questions pertaining to
126 demographic and ASD symptoms about their children, and (1) a set of 16 questions if the
127 child had independent public transport experiences or otherwise; (2) a different set of five
128 questions (Appendix A).
129 In the survey kit, parents were encouraged to converse with their children about their
130 independent commute experiences before and during the course of responding to the
131 questionnaire. Sample questions included "What are some difficulties that your child

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132 experienced when taking public transport independently?" and "What are some features
133 that, if added, will make independent public transport journey more comfortable for your
134 child?"
135 Findings were cleaned and coded with Microsoft Excel, and are presented in the next
136 section. Based on the survey findings, a list of requirements for transport planners was
137 elaborated. Finally, design concepts have been proposed based on the requirements
138 previously defined.
139 3. Results
140 3.1 Online survey questionnaire
141 This section presents the findings from the survey questionnaire. Altogether, 25 responses
142 were gathered. 22 were from parents of male students, and 3 were from parents of female
143 students. Students’ age ranged between 10 to 20 years (M = 15, SD = 2.34). All students
144 have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); one student has a co-morbidity
145 with Turner Syndrome, while another has a co-morbidity with Learning Disability.
146 Parents were asked to rate how each ASD symptom affects their children’s ability to take
147 public transport independently, on a scale of ‘1 – Does not affect at all’ to ‘5 – Affect a lot’.
148 Figure 2 summarises the findings.

25
Count of Responses

20

15

10

Affect a lot Affect quite a bit Affect somewhat Affect a little Does not affect at all
149
150 Figure 2. ASD Symptoms and its Influence on Independent Mobility

151
152 As observed in Figure 2, almost all students displayed symptoms of social interaction
153 difficulty and insistence with routine. However, social interaction difficulty seems to be more
154 impactful on one’s mobility, with approximately two times more parents highlighting that it
155 affects independent public transport usage at least ‘quite a bit’. Some other important
156 symptoms to note are non-verbal autism, speech difficulties, and the three levels of cognitive
157 impairments (mild/moderate/severe). At least half of the parents indicated that these ‘affect
158 quite a bit’ participants’ independent public transport usage.

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159 As the survey was divided into two sections based on whether the child has independent
160 public transport experience, the respective findings will be presented separately.
161 3.1.1 Individuals with independent public transport experience
162 Of the 25 students, four were able to take public transport independently. All four students
163 are male, aged between 15 to 18, and have no co-morbidities. None of the parents rated
164 above three out of the five-point Likert response scale (affected quite a bit/affect a lot) for
165 any of the symptoms. None of them has severe cognitive impairment, while one of them has
166 moderate cognitive impairment. Additionally, all four independently take public transport
167 daily. Travelling to school was a common travel purpose. Three have additional travel
168 purposes such as travelling to/from leisure programs, travelling to/from relatives' houses and
169 more.
170 When enquiring about students’ travel mode, taxi was included as an option. It was revealed
171 that the main modes of transport were bus and taxi for two respondents, and bus and train
172 for the others. Taxis may be used to cover long distance travel for the two participants who
173 are less comfortable with train travel.
174 Preferred modes of public transport between bus or train for the students vary. Three voted
175 for bus and one for train. Participants who preferred taking buses in comparison to other
176 modes of transport highlighted reasons such as ease of learning, predictability of travel
177 journeys, availability of seats, and convenience of traveling to their destination. For trains,
178 the reason cited was shorter waiting times.
179 Learning to use public transport independently took several weeks for all four students,
180 which they successfully mastered between the ages of 13 to 16. During this learning phase,
181 some challenges cited were: requesting help from strangers, asking for a seat, avoiding
182 displays of disruptive behaviours, coping with the unpredictability of public transport, and
183 being more confident in one’s capability to take public transport independently. In addition,
184 the challenges faced during the actual public transport experience included the
185 unpredictability of train/bus arrival timings causing emotional distress, difficulty in
186 approaching strangers for help, and difficulty in responding to unexpected changes (cited by
187 two parents). Only one student has had experience of a meltdown during his/her travel
188 journey, as the train stalls unexpectedly.
189 To improve their travel journeys, most of the students used mobile applications to enable
190 their parents to receive real-time updates, or view bus/train routes and arrival timings. Visual
191 aids (signages, directory board etc.) indicating bus/train information were highlighted as
192 being very helpful for the students’ travel journeys, in addition to priority seating and the
193 establishment of predictable bus/train routines. When asked about possible implementations
194 that could help improve their child’s travel experience, parents suggested implementing
195 more visual aids and emergency buttons, and having transportation companies organise
196 awareness campaigns to “educate public on invisible needs and voluntary support”.
197 Lastly, students’ interactions with the bus driver/train staff are rare or not practised at all.
198 Interactions are limited to greetings, adding value to travel cards, or dealing with difficulties
199 in passing through MRT gantries with the travel card.
200 3.1.2 Individuals without independent public transport experience
201 This section summarises the responses of 21 parents whose children do not currently have
202 independent public transport experience. Responses indicated that while the child is unable
203 to be independent in their public transport usage now, 15 parents believed that their children

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204 would be able to pick up the skills in future. 10 out of these 15 parents believed that this
205 would happen before age 21.
206 Parents were also asked about the barriers preventing the students from taking public
207 transport independently. This question consisted of nine common barriers and an additional
208 “Others” option for open-ended responses. Figure 3 below summarises their responses.

16
14
Count of Responses

12
10
8
6
4
2
0

209
210 Figure 3. Barriers to Independent Mobility

211
212 Most parents cited more than one transport barrier. Interestingly, not all the students who
213 have difficulty boarding face difficulty alighting, and vice versa. Under the open-ended
214 answer “others”, reasons cited were lack of assistance, a tendency to peel off signage
215 stickers, lack of public awareness, and low awareness towards dangerous situations.
216 In an open-end question, parents then suggested new features that could be incorporated
217 into the current system to make adoption of independent public transport usage for their
218 children more feasible. These suggestions are summarised in Figure 4 below.

6
 8

6
Count of Responses

0
Supervision/support Visual/audio Special Non-peelable Interactive transport
reminders to seating/area notices/signs service
alight/board
219
220 Figure 4. Suggestions for New Features

221 Two key themes were identified, namely supervision/support and visual/audio reminders to
222 alight/board the mode of public transport. This is aligned with the top three key concerns
223 highlighted in the previous question – difficulty in asking for help, alighting, and boarding.
224 Interestingly, a parent pointed out that his/her child tends to peel off notices/signs pasted on
225 the wall, and suggested using non-removable signage.
226 3.2 Requirement List
227 The concerns that we gathered from the survey questionnaire have been translated into
228 requirements (Table 1). For example, the challenge of ‘loud noises’ was translated into a
229 requirement of ‘quiet environment’. Such translations allow for a switch from problem-
230 focused perspectives to solution-focused perspectives. These requirements are further split
231 based on individuals with and without independent public transport experience, as each
232 group answered a different set of questions and further highlighted different challenges and
233 suggestions for improvements.
234
235 Table 1. Requirements List for Inclusive Public Transport

Individuals with independent Individuals without independent

public transport experience public transport experience
 Learning to be confident of
self
 Learning not to display
disruptive behaviours
 Learning to ask for a seat
Learning Phase
 Learning to ask for help
 Learning to cope with the
unpredictability of public
transport systems

In Actual  Predictable travel routine  Moderate exposure to light

Situations  Crowd management

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  Simplified ways to ask for  Priority seating
help  Quiet environment
 Assistance in alighting
 Assistance in boarding
 Predictable travel routine
 Simplified ways to ask for
help

 More visual aids  Assistance in alighting

 Emergency buttons  Assistance in boarding
Suggestions  More awareness campaign  Supervision/support
by the transportation
companies

236 Note. Words bolded are aspects of public transport that are targeted for improvements through the design
237 concepts proposed in the next section

238 A selection of requirements has been made to translate them into design suggestions that
239 can enhance the current public transport system for individuals with ASD (bold in Table 1).
240 However, a few requirements were not considered in the design concepts formulation, for
241 various reasons elaborated below.
242 Regarding the learning phase, we believe that the challenges of “learning to be confident of
243 self” and “learning not to display disruptive behaviours” are too intrinsic to the students to be
244 addressed with design solutions and are therefore not directly targeted with our design
245 suggestions. We hope, however, that our design suggestions can provide long-term help
246 with these two challenges.
247 In addition, crowd management and moderate exposure to light are part of the requirements
248 highlighted from the survey findings. However, they are not the focus of the current study as
249 the former is related to public transport operations and service frequency, and the latter is
250 related to infrastructural adaptations of the system (larger shelter or dark-tinted windows in
251 buses). Likewise, awareness campaigns are important but not relevant to the development
252 of design concepts, and will not be addressed in this paper.
253 3.3 Design Suggestions
254 In accordance with the barriers and challenges identified from the survey responses, we
255 propose ViCo, a Virtual Companion in the form of an information terminal. ViCo was initially
256 developed for seniors to allow for the ease of information access throughout their travel
257 journey (Schaefer, 2020). Having a similar objective as in the current paper, some
258 adaptations were made to the initial draft of ViCo to adapt to the needs of individuals with
259 ASD. Serving the needs of multiple vulnerable populations with one design concept will
260 make it more cost-effective and feasible for implementation. Furthermore, ViCo specification
261 (size, height etc.) was already designed based on Singapore’s bus stops. Based on findings
262 from the current study, ViCo’s elements are adapted and proposed to be retrofitted into
263 existing infrastructures of Singapore bus stops and interchanges (see Figure 5). It is not
264 required at MRT stations as every platform already has appropriate information terminals
265 (e.g., train arrival displays and MRT route maps). ViCo is complemented with the use of a
266 new smart-card. The smart-card stores personalised information with an integrated circuit
267 chip which can be easily retrieved with a tap at the information terminals. By linking
268 information points at bus stops with public transport vehicles through the smart-cards, users
269 can experience seamless information access and a guided travel journey. ViCo will be

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270 placed at bus stops, buses, and trains. Features of ViCo located at bus stops will first be
271 explained, followed by in-vehicle Vico.
272

273
274 Figure 5. ViCo Retrofitted into Singapore Bus Stops

275
276 At bus stops, functionalities of ViCo include route planning, checking of bus arrival timings,
277 adding value to smart-cards, and purchase of bus tickets (Figure 6). The frosted privacy
278 glass shields are attached to the body with the handle. The handle unit is designed for
279 comfortable screen usage and balance support, especially for individuals who may
280 experience difficulties in motor movement. It consists of an aluminium frame and a soft touch
281 grip for a comfortable surface feel. In the middle of the handle, a height adjustment button
282 with raised lettering and arrows is located to cater to individuals of different statures. Users
283 can talk and interact with the voice assistant via loudspeakers on top of the screen. On the
284 right side of the screen, users can tap their travel cards for a personalised user experience.
285 For the general public, the interface of ViCo is as displayed in Figure 6, with various options
286 to plan their routes, purchase bus tickets, and more.

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287
288 Figure 6. ViCo Screen Display for the General Public

289
290 For users with ASD, the screen that will be displayed upon tapping their smart-cards will be
291 different; a screen for an individual with ASD will be simpler and allows parents/guardians to
292 save their usual travel routes to minimise the interactions with the screen required. This
293 layout can also be used by other vulnerable group users, children or elderly, with the settings
294 adjusted via an online portal. The screen will adapt according to the pre-saved settings of
295 each smart-card, and the simplified screen will be displayed as in Figure 7 and Figure 8.
296 Home and school/work addresses are primary buttons on the main screen. Parents and
297 guardians can insert additional buttons via the online portal if they wish. Destination names
298 and pictures for each button can be customised to fit each individual’s understanding of the
299 destination. For instance, parents/guardians may choose to display school logos, a picture of
300 the child’s favourite teacher, or a picture of the child’s best friend to represent “school”. The
301 large range of additional features (route planner, ticket purchase, etc.) that are typically
302 available for the public’s use will be summed into a single “more options” button, for use
303 among higher function ASD individuals.

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304
305 Figure 7. Main Display for Users with ASD (left: full ViCo view; right: enlarged screen view)

306

307
308 Figure 8. Instruction Display for Users with ASD (left: full ViCo view; right: enlarged screen view)

309
310 Two assistance buttons would be displayed on the screen when an individual with autism
311 swipes their travel card with ViCo. The first will be a customisable button “call …” which can
312 be pre-set to a specific name/term (mummy/daddy etc.). Upon pressing the button, ViCo will
313 connect the user with the pre-set parents/guardian via a phone call to assist individuals with
314 ASD through the difficulties he/she may face. Additionally, a text message with the ViCo’s
315 location will be sent to parents via Short Message Service (SMS), so that parents can
316 identify the exact location of the child in times of emergency. The second button is a public
317 help request, where an alarm located at the bus stop roof directly above ViCo will light up
318 upon activation (see Figure 5). This light-up function symbolises that an individual of the
319 vulnerable group requires assistance but does not know how to approach strangers for help.
320 Members of the public who see the alert are encouraged to step forward to offer assistance
321 to the individual standing before ViCo.
322 An additional emergency call button can be found underneath a protection flap, right above
323 the screen. The flap serves to prevent accidental activation of the emergency button and
324 misuse. Both the button and the flap have raised lettering to inform visually impaired users of
325 the function. (See Figure 9). Pressing the emergency call button connects the user directly
326 with a human service operator. The human service operator, if necessary, directly informs

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327 the police, fire brigade, or emergency doctor. While the two assistance buttons are designed
328 for individuals with ASD, the emergency button is applicable for all users to assist with
329 emergencies. For individuals with ASD who are unable to use the button themselves,
330 members of the public can assist the child in difficulty through the use of the emergency
331 button if necessary.
332

333
334 Figure 9. Emergency button

335
336 Within public transport buses and trains, we propose to add another information point. It will
337 consist of only two units – the screen and handle (See Figure 10). On buses with routes
338 going past special needs schools, we suggest adding more of the in-vehicle ViCo units. In
339 trains, the information point screens can be added to the glass panel beside all priority seats.

340
341 Figure 10. ViCo inside the Bus

342 The screen unit consists of an interactive touchscreen, camera, and audio socket, where
343 users can insert their audio headphones to improve their communication with ViCo, or play

12
344 soothing instrumental music that could assist individuals with ASD in filtering out loud noises
345 on the bus. The physical design of the in-vehicle ViCo is similar to the ones located at bus
346 stops, with an aluminium frame, soft touch grip, and adjustable angle tilt.
347 The main function of in-vehicle ViCo units would be to assist users in keeping track of their
348 travel journeys and provide reminders to alight. Similar to ViCo at bus stops, users can
349 swipe their new smart-card to retrieve travel route information or key in their destination
350 manually. The screen then displays users’ real-time locations along the travel route, and a
351 pop-up notification will be displayed when the user nears to his/her destination. Should the
352 user board a bus that does not match the suggested bus/train for the target destination, an
353 error message will be displayed, and users will be advised to alight from the bus
354 immediately.
355 When a user with ASD taps their smart-card on the card reader in buses or MRT gantries,
356 an SMS notification with details of the child’s location and vehicle boarded will be sent to the
357 parents. A notification would also be displayed on the in-vehicle ViCo screen to notify and
358 encourage fellow passengers to give up the seats with ViCo to passengers who need it
359 more. Both the latter features can be toggled on or off with an online ViCo site based on the
360 child’s needs.
361 The table below summarises how each requirement was addressed by ViCo.
362
363 Table 2. Summary of Issues Addressed with ViCo

Location of ViCo ViCo Features Requirement Addressed

Emergency button, call service Emergency buttons
to parents, public assistance
alarm Simplified ways to ask for help
Supervision/support
Bus stop Use of simple texts and icons, More visual aids
with customisable features
Route planning (with minimal Predictable travel routine
interactions) and information
about bus arrival timing Assistance in boarding
Graphic view of real-time Assistance in alighting
location with notification to More visual aids
alight
Comes with audio socket that Quiet environment
can play soothing music
In buses/trains Call service to parents, public Supervision/support
assistance alarm Simplified ways to ask for help
Pop-up notification when a Learning to ask for seats
user who requires the use of Priority seating
in-vehicle ViCo boards the bus
or train
364
365 4. Discussion
366 4.1 On findings and proposed design concepts
367 The goal of this paper is to highlight the gaps in Singapore’s transport system that need to
368 be addressed by transport planners, understand the public transport challenges faced by
369 individuals with ASD, and propose design concepts to address these challenges.

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370 Findings from the current study revealed that ASD symptoms affect each child differently,
371 but cognitive impairments, difficulties in speech, and difficulties in social interaction had
372 greater impacts on their ability to take public transport. Of the 25 students, 21 students were
373 unable to take public transport independently. In line with the literature, this highlights the
374 high reliance of individuals with ASD on parents or caregivers for mobility needs (Deka et al,
375 2016; Lubin & Feely, 2016). Meanwhile, among the four students who were able to take
376 public transport independently, all of them took it on a daily basis.
377 Key requirements summarised from the survey are: quiet environments, assistance in
378 alighting, assistance in boarding, predictable travel routines, simplified ways to ask for help,
379 supervision or support, more visual aids, emergency buttons, learning to ask for seats and
380 priority seating. Concerns about seats, boarding, and alighting were similarly observed
381 across various studies (Deka et al., 2016; Feely, 2010; Lubin and Feely, 2016). Common
382 challenges and barriers that were identified in the three aforementioned studies but not the
383 current study are: worries about crimes, cost, and accessibility. Last but not least, concerns
384 about emergency situations, supervision and support, and ability to seek help are new.
385 Compared to previous studies where respondents were individuals with ASD, current survey
386 respondents were parents and guardians. Hence, these new concerns revolving around the
387 need for a support figure could reflect the worries of Singaporean parents towards their
388 children’s travel journey alone. Nonetheless, personalised assistance appeared to be a
389 concern for the Singapore population, and extra emphasis was placed to address these
390 concerns in the design concept, ViCo. Besides the emergency button that is available for
391 public use, two additional buttons were designed for the vulnerable population - the public
392 help request button and call button to contact parents or guardian. Furthermore, an optional
393 function of an SMS notification to parents or guardians upon the boarding of buses and
394 trains was designed to ease parents’ worries about their children taking public transport
395 alone.
396 Comparing the requirement list with LTMP2040 initiatives, it is noteworthy that the
397 LTMP2040 measures address some, but not all of the requirements. For instance, the Next-
398 Generation Passenger Information Displays assist individuals with ASD in alighting, and the
399 quiet rooms at bus interchanges and MRT stations would be helpful when an individual with
400 ASD experiences a meltdown and requires a quiet space to himself/herself (Bedrossian,
401 2015). However, it is important to note that these rooms are only available at interchanges
402 and train stations. Meanwhile, numerous other requirements such as supervision or support
403 and simplified ways to ask for help are not addressed as part of LTMP 2040. Hence, ViCo
404 can be a complementary addition to the transport system to make it more inclusive and
405 accessible for all.
406 While some of the functions proposed may possess similarities with currently available
407 navigation and transport-related mobile applications, the proposed concept has been
408 designed to minimise interactions for ease of use. With reduced complexity and
409 customisable features, ViCo aims to provide a seamless travel experience for commuters
410 with ASD. Importantly, ViCo is designed based on the seven principles of Universal Design
411 (equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, size and space for approach and
412 use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, and low physical effort; Story, 2001). Hence,
413 its functionalities and benefits are not limited to individuals with ASD, but can also be
414 extended to other vulnerable populations (e.g. people with Alzheimer’s) and members of the
415 general public (e.g. children who are lost, an elderly person in an unfamiliar neighbourhood
416 without a mobile phone or a tourist who is new to the Singapore transport system).
417 4.2 Limitations and further work

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418 One limitation of the study is the small sample size. Since the majority of participants were
419 unable to take public transport independently, only four responses were collected for
420 students who could do so. Furthermore, as these participants were all parents of students
421 from Rainbow Centre, the information collected solely from children and teenagers with
422 ASD, without input from other age groups. Future studies could recruit a larger sample group
423 and increase the age range.
424 Additionally, parents responded to the questionnaire on behalf of students with ASD. While
425 parents were encouraged to converse with their children about their independent travel
426 experiences, it is unclear if such communication took place. Furthermore, different
427 communication strategies adopted across parents will influence the type, amount, and
428 details of the information received. Alternative user research data collection methods such
429 as shadowing and interviews (MacDonald & Simpson, 2014) can be conducted to validate
430 findings from the current study.
431 Lastly, design concepts were proposed directly based on findings highlighted from the
432 survey questionnaire. While these concepts were carefully designed to be as comprehensive
433 as possible, the concepts have yet to be tested in real life by individuals with ASD. Important
434 aspects such as the content to be displayed, colours, and wording could be important factors
435 that determine the usability (Cafiero, 1988; Ricketts et al., 2013) of ViCo. Further work could
436 include creating prototypes of the design concepts and testing it out with individuals with
437 ASD. Classes could be held regularly to teach students independent public transport usage
438 with the inclusion of ViCo prototypes to see if such additional features can improve their
439 ability to take public transport independently.
440 5. Conclusion
441 This paper contributes to understanding public transport access for individuals with autism in
442 Singapore’s context through a survey with parents of individuals with ASD. Based on
443 Singapore’s transport system, key requirements summarised from the survey suggest that
444 the transport needs of vulnerable populations, or at least individuals with ASD, will not be
445 fully addressed with the measures from LTMP2040. The gaps in the Singapore transport
446 system need to be filled to create an inclusive transport system.

447 In this paper, requirements were addressed in the proposed design concept of an
448 information terminal named ViCo. By linking ViCo at bus stops and public transport vehicles
449 with a new smart-card, users will be able to experience seamless information access and a
450 guided travel journey.

451 As part of LTMP 2040, the implementation of dynamically-routed autonomous (i.e.,

452 driverless) public transport has been underway in Singapore since 2015. With the absence
453 of a bus driver in the future, it becomes even more important to deploy measures and
454 features that assist commuters in taking autonomous public transport, especially individuals
455 with ASD. ViCo can be a complementary addition to LTMP2040, to create an inclusive
456 transport system for all. Beyond individuals with ASD, this design concept can be expected
457 to improve the travel experience for all commuters – people with diverse disabilities and
458 without disabilities.

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