Light It Up: Boarding for Automated Low-Capacity Shuttles through Ambient Visual Cues

Once public transport is fully automated, human operators will no longer be needed for tasks like manoeuvring, paying, and boarding. Interfaces must evolve to cover the entire interaction chain from booking to boarding. We present a user-centred design of a mobile-based booking application and an LED-based boarding interface for automated shuttles. Our approach included comprehensive requirements and feasibility analyses to ensure technical viability and user satisfaction. Laboratory study results highlight the advantages and challenges of the boarding interface, underscoring the importance of early user requirements and feasibility assessments in designing automated shuttle systems.