• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.74-78
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• 2015

A bus seat is required to be ergonomically designed in terms of its shape and physical properties to increase seating comfort. The present study is intended to develop a systematic bus seat evaluation protocol based on seating comfort. A total of 48 participants evaluated 12 parts (seat belt, recliner, armrest, headrest, upper-back support, lumbar support, seatback bolster, seatback overall, hip support, thigh support, seatpan bolster, and seatpan overall) of 12 bus seats with 17 subjective comfort measures (e.g., convenience of control, suitability of size, and overall comfort). Lastly, ergonomic features of shape and physical properties of each seat part were identified based on the subject evaluation analysis results. The developed bus seat evaluation protocol can be applied to evaluate various types of seats.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.69-86
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• 2017

Objective: The present study is intended to develop an improved bus seat armrest design by evaluating various bus armrest designs from ergonomic aspects. Background: An ergonomic armrest design which considers the sitting postures and body shapes of passengers can improve the convenience and comfort of a bus seat. Method: Subjective satisfaction of each of five design dimensions (length, width, height from seatpan, shape, and angle) was evaluated for seven bus seat armrest designs in various sizes and shapes by 58 participants (28 males and 33 females) using a 7-point scale (1: very dissatisfied, 4: neutral, and 7: very satisfied). Improved bus seat armrest designs adjustable in length and rotatable to the left or right (sliding and rotating armrest, SRA) with a concave, flat, or convex shape of the upper part were developed by considering the preferred design features and the body size and shape in sitting posture and needs of passengers and then compared with a conventional armrest. Results: A bus seat armrest with a wide width (40~50mm), a long length (360mm), a lower height (213mm), and a curved shape was found significantly preferred in terms of comfort. The proposed armrest designs (SRA-convex, SRA-flat, and SRA-concave) improved satisfaction by 46~62% for length suitability, 184~216% for width suitability, 205~214% for angle suitability, 138~181% for contact area suitability, and 49~64% for height suitability, 138~174% for comfort, and 93~111% for overall satisfaction. Conclusion: The preferred design features and passengers' needs of bus seat armrest were identified and the SRA designs were recommended for better usability. Application: The ergonomic design process of bus seat armrest employed in the present study can be applied to designing armrests in various vehicles for better convenience and comfort.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.91-100
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• 2004

This study presents the development of a new aluminum seat frame for the commercial bus. Back moment and seat belt anchorage analysis of the conventional steel seat frame was conducted as a base model. Effective aluminum section dimensions for aluminum pipe were calculated from equivalent stiffness and equivalent weight study. Back moment and seat belt anchorage strength with the developed aluminum seat frame were compared to those of the base model. Additionally, to pass the fatigue test, shape modification of side frame assembly was conducted. From this study we could reduce the weight of seat frame more than 5 kg. And the current analysis model and procedure can provide useful informations in designing a new commercial car seat and can reduce the overall design cost and time.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.28-38
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• 1994

The objective of this study were to measure concentrations of indoor pollutants in public transportation systems to provide importance of indoor air quality in transportation systems to policy makers. Indoor air quality of the pollutants (CO, CO$_2$, PM-10) and environmental sources (temperature, humidity) were measured at subway, seat-type bus, and city-type bus in the Seoul area from April to September 1992. The same pollutants and environmental sources were also measured at selected bus stops and subway stations during October 1991-September 1992. The mean concentrations of indoor pollutants in the public transportation systems were showed 115.5 $\mu$g/m$^3$ in PM-10, 6.8 ppm in CO, and 2167.9 ppm in CO$_2$, respectively. The mean values of PM-10 and CO showed below the U.S. 24 hour standard value of PM-10 and the Korea ambient CO standard, while the mean concentrations of CO$_2$ exceeded the Korea CO$_2$ standard. The highest levels of indoor concentration at public transportation systems were PM-10 of 134.6 $\mu$g/m$^3$ in the subway, CO of 8.9 ppm in the city-type bus, CO$_2$ of 2,511.1ppm in seat-type bus, respectively. The results showed that indoor air quality in bus and subway seemed likely to be affected by number of passengers and outdoor air infiltrated from exhausted gases of automobiles.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.543-553
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• 2015

This study analyzed that the impact of the bus use environment on users' stress in each step of bus use, from accessing to leaving to transfer, in the city of Daejeon. For this, we collected the stress data from 300 users using personal interviews at the bus stops and on-board bus. Also, we used factor analysis and structural equation model method for analysis of the impact of external and internal bus environments on stress of users. The results of this study showed that the highest stress impact factor was an onboard factor(${\beta}=.416$) including 'density and crowding', 'no seat to seat' and 'low ride comfort and safe'. The next stress impact factor was transfer factor including 'insufficient transfer information', 'lack of connectivity of bus and subway' and 'uncomfort transfer route'. From the above, we recommend that bus policies need to focus on not the supplier but users and also, this user based policy need to be more specified considering the characteristics of various users such as females, the elderly, irregular users, and so on.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.59-68
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• 2002

Using 1996 annual observations for 69 bus firms in Seoul, this paper measures firm-level efficiency with data envelopment analysis(DEA) and identifies firm characteristics indicative of differential efficiency in these firms with Tobit regression analysis. The paper then conceptualizes that these firms produce two kinds of output(city/seat bus kilometers or city/seat bus Passengers) using four inputs (labor vehicle, fuel and maintenance). The findings show that, on an average, these firms have only a little input saving potential of 0.9 percent, while not a little output increasing potential of 12.9 percent. On the other hand, it is discovered that these firms operate more efficiently with a lower ratio of maintenance employees to total employees. Furthermore, it appears that both the ratio of seat buses to total buses and average speeds positively affect efficiency in this industry.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.97-108
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• 2014

Objective:The present study is intended to evaluate the usability of a console chair for a weapon locating radar by comparing with different kinds of chair design. Background: Console chairs need to be ergonomically designed to reduce physical workload of operators and improve mission capability; few studies have been reported which systematically evaluate usability of military console chairs. Method: Ergonomic design of a console chair, a bus seat, and an office chair was evaluated in terms of headrest, seatback, seatpan, armrest, and controller on a 7-point scale. Ten males in their 20s and 30s were recruited considering the demographic characteristics of console operators. Results: The satisfaction scores of the console chair for headrest, seatback, and seatpan were significantly higher than those of the bus seat (mean difference [MD] = 0.9) and office chair (MD = 1.3). Meanwhile, the satisfaction scores of the console chair for armrest and controller were significantly lower than those of the office chair (MD = -1.4) and bus seat (MD = -2.2). Conclusion: The armrest and controller of the console chair needs ergonomic improvements for better comfort. Application: The evaluation results of the console chair would be of use for ergonomic console chair design.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.446-452
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• 2020

As the use of children's school buses increases, accidents caused by the negligence of school bus drivers and ride carers have also increased significantly. To prevent such accidents, the government is coming up with various policies. We propose an accident prevention and safety management system for children's school buses. Through this system, bus drivers can easily check whether each child is seated and whether the seat belt is used, so it is possible to quickly respond to children's conditions while driving. With the ability to recognize faces by analyzing camera images, children can use a seat belt that is automatically adjusted to their height. It is therefore possible to prevent secondary injuries that may occur in the event of a traffic accident. In addition, a sleeping child-check system is provided to confirm that all children get off the bus, and a text service is provided to inform parents of their children's locations in real time. Based on Raspberry Pi, the system is implemented with cameras, pressure sensors, motors, Bluetooth modules, and so on. This proposed system was attached to a bus model to confirm that the series of functions work correctly.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.156-164
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• 2018

This study analyzed the characteristics of Physical Environment of existing free shuttle bus Interior centered on elderly people who frequently use free shuttle buses. The purpose of this study is to provide basic data that can be used for improvement of existing free shuttle buses. In the case of the old type, in terms of accessible design, the middle entrance is not normally opened except the wheelchair occupant, so that the entrance of the front wheel is always used. Therefore, most elderly people go to the back seat and travel distance is twice longer. In addition, many stairs caused frequent inconveniences for boarding. In the case of the new type, it is planned to be a low-floor type, and various types of safety rods and handles, pictograms for enhancing the information convenience are well-equipped, and the measured value of the overall design characteristic is high. However, in the case of mental stability, it was confirmed that the seat of the bus is colored with a cold color system and is in a different relationship with the warm color which can feel mental stability. Overall, both old and new shuttle buses lack audiovisual feedback on bus routes and route guidance in terms of Supportive design. Also, since the cleaning tools and other miscellaneous items were left in the room, it became an obstacle to space utilization in terms of adaptable design. In terms of safety, both shuttle buses did not come into view with fire extinguishers shaded by miscellaneous items. Therefore, immediate action is unlikely in case of emergency. This problem should be resolved quickly.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.89-102
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• 2001

Using a multiproduct translog cost function model, this paper examines the existence or absence of scale and scope economies in Seoul's urban bus industry. The Paper then conceptualizes that the bus firm produces three outputs (city, seat and local bus-kilometers) using low input factors(labor, capital, fuel and maintenance). Using 1996 annual observations for 81 Seoul's bus firms, the equation system consisting of a cost function and three input share equations is estimated with the nonlinear iterative Zellner method. The findings show that the cost function corresponding to a non-homothetic production technology with separability between local bus outputs and inputs adequately represents the structure of cost for Seoul's bus firms, and that the demand lot all input factors is quite inelastic with respect to their own price. On the other hand, nearly all firms experience mild overall economies or scale, but rather marked product-specific economies of scale with respect to all the three outputs. In addition, there appear to be substantial economies or scope associated with the joint production of city and seat bus services, while considerable diseconomies of scope associated with that of city and local bus services. These results indicate that the merger of smaller firms into larger firms with a fleet of approximately 200 buses would result in more cost-efficient bus services.