Autonomous Public Transport

Public-transport services — buses, shuttles, ferries, trams — operated wholly or partly by self-driving technology, typically supervised remotely rather than by an onboard driver. From an accessibility perspective, autonomous public transport simultaneously promises cheaper, more frequent service in underserved areas and risks removing the human staff who previously provided informal accommodations: deploying ramps, confirming stop requests, offering personal security, and supporting passengers with cognitive, sensory, or mobility disabilities. Universal-design approaches and explicit digital HMI cues are needed to preserve these roles.