A Literature Review on Bus Comfort On-Board

According to the UN’s 2030 Agenda, cities and human settlements aim to become inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. In this context, cities are pivotal for social and economic development, serving as gathering places where everyone should enjoy a high standard of living and accessibility. Public transportation, particularly bus comfort on board, significantly influences the quality of urban transportation services. Measuring this comfort is essential for transportation providers to track, assess, and implement targeted improvements. Comfort is a complex concept influenced by factors like temperature, noise, vibration, acceleration, passenger load, and cleanliness. The literature offers various approaches to measuring bus comfort, prompting this paper's review of existing research to establish a structured research base for future studies. Despite a wealth of literature on onboard bus comfort levels (OBCL), no methods yet establish graduated, dynamic comfort scales incorporating diverse passenger characteristics and real-time acceleration data. This gap prevents a comprehensive, real-time OBCL assessment that accurately reflects passenger experiences. Furthermore, extensive data collection is necessary to calibrate models and consolidate comfort scales effectively. The insights from these studies help identify specific areas where comfort levels are inadequate, enabling transportation agencies to focus on targeted interventions for enhancing the passenger experience. While considerable progress has been made in understanding and measuring bus comfort, there remains a need for more sophisticated methodologies to develop comprehensive and dynamic comfort assessment tools aligned with the diverse needs of passengers and the dynamic nature of urban transportation systems.