During the “Ride4All” project, a model route for barrier-free public transport will be established over the next two years. Users will travel from the Soest to Paradiese station in automated minibuses, while being accompanied by a inclusive, highly accurate app.

The aim of the project is to establish a functional and digitally networked mobility system that allows testing and evaluation of a public transport structure for people with mobility and sensory impairments in their everyday life on the basis of autonomously driving vehicles.

Fraunhofer FOKUS will contribute to the further development of the app, for example with functions that transmit the exact position of the bus door to visually impaired people if they travel by themselves or do not want to rely on the help of others, or an exact wheelchair recognition at the bus stop. Fraunhofer FOKUS is relying on the expansion of its everGuide indoor localization solution for blind and visually impaired people, which has already been successfully introduced in many public buildings.

Besides Fraunhofer FOKUS Kreis und Stadt Soest, GeoMobile GmbH, Regionalverkehr Ruhr-Lippe GmbH, LWL-Berufsbildungswerk Soest and Eagle eye technologies GmbH are involved in the project.

The project has a duration of two years and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure with 2.3 million euros.