Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header
Content archived on 2022-11-15

Transport Using Rehabilitation Technologies Leads to Economic Efficiency

Objective

TURTLE is developing a prototype real time public information system (transport) which will work in all market situations, and which takes full account of the requirements of disabled and older people.

The main objective of TURTLE is to develop and trial a real time public information system which has as its main focus the needs of disabled and older people. Many disabled and older people do not use public transport. The major reason for this is lack of access to the information needed to make use of services. Key difficulties facing disabled and older public transport users are lack of certainty; not knowing when a service is due, not knowing if it has been delayed, not knowing the route of a particular service, or not knowing if the service is physically accessible.

Paper based information services are not appropriate to deal with these problems. Alternative telematic solutions developed by public authorities to overcome these difficulties are:

expensive
use dedicated transmission networks
require special adaptations of vehicle fleets
present problems where services are deregulated
not designed for use by the entire community

TURTLE has been initiated to overcome these difficulties. It will develop and trial a public information system. Teletext has been selected as the main transmission media because of its low cost to individual users, and is already available in many people homes. Information will also be made available through public information terminals. The system will be capable of implementation throughout Europe.

Technical Approach: Preliminary studies by partners indicate that the majority of telephone traffic in Europe is generated by local organisations supported by social spending. These need to ensure that they are gaining value for money for the communities they serve. Lack of telematic systems designed for everybody means this is not possible. TURTLE will work with disabled and older people, cities, transport and telematic service providers to provide these services.

Impact and Expected Results: The consortium intends to demonstrate that developing telematic services around the functional requirements of disabled and older people makes commercial sense, provides services accessible to all, and has quantifiable social and economic benefits. Public transport services are the wide area information networks of local communities throughout Europe. These are of strategic importance in the development of 'electronic communities'. TURTLE will explore these issues fully, and make results available to all sector actors.

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

University of Northumbria at Newcastle
EU contribution
No data
Address
Coach Lane Campus
NE7 7TW Newcastle upon Tyne
United Kingdom

See on map

Total cost
No data

Participants (8)