Institute of Transportation, MOTC

　　Because most urban areas currently do not have a database concerned with travel characteristics of people with disabilities, this research project creates a survey and analysis method to estimate their transportation needs. The material presented in this report could assist planners, analysts, or designers to do preliminary planning and design of accessible transportation services. Moreover, it can be used for system-wide planning and analysis. The sampled areas for this project are Miaoli Country and the Taipei metropolitan area. The transportation service options for people with disabilities include: accessible fixed-route and fixed-schedule buses; specialized door-to-door services; and taxi with subsidy. The research results could be the basic reference for designing these three kinds of services.

　　The main subjects of the survey include: (1) the current characteristics of trip generation from people with disabilities; (2) the possibility to use a new transportation service instead of the original one if the new service for people with disabilities is introduced into the service area; (3) the willingness of people with disabilities to use a new transportation system; and (4) the basic social-economic information of people with disabilities. From the results, the trip distribution of people with disabilities to use new transportation service is obtained. The method to evaluate the transportation needs of people with disabilities is also established. In addition, the finding of the research indicates that the subsidized taxi service is a suitable and convenient way to provide an accessible transportation service in a small area. However, it may be necessary to provide a door-to-door transportation service and/or accessible buses in a large area. For the sample areas, Miaoli Country is appropriate for subsidized taxis and door-to-door transportation services, and the Taipei metropolitan area is appropriate for all three different services at the same time.

　　Finally, this survey, analysis, planning and design handbook (including a disk) is summarized based on the above project for country government’s reference.