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TCRP Web Document 1
{Project F- 4)
Contractor's Final Report
BUS OPERATOR WORKSTATION EVALUATION
AND DESIGN GUIDELINES
lilNAL REPORT
Prepared for
Transit Cooperative Research Program
Transportation Research Board
National Research Council
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
NAS-NRC
c=
This report, not released for publication, is fumigated only for renew to members of or ~Jcipants m the work of the Transit
Cooperative Research Program. It is to be regarded as foxily pn~eged, and hiss - Dation of the infonnation included herein must
be approved by the TCRP.
The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute
The Penn~ylvama State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
February 1997
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.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was sponsored by the Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) and was conducted
through the Transit Cooperative Research Program
(TCRP), which is administered by He Transportation
Research Board (TRY) of the National Research
Council.
DISCLAIMER
The opinions and conclusions expressed or
implied in the report are those of the research agency.
They are not necessarily those of tile TRY, the National
Research Council, the ETA, the Transit Development
Corporation, or the U.S. Government.
This report has not been edited by TRB.
Information on this report is available from the
TCRP, 2101 Constitution Ave. N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20418
Telephone: 202/334-2886
Fax: 202/334-2002
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ABSTRACT
Due to the special requirements of the transit bus operator function, the
environment can be a very difficult place to work, especially for large males and small
females. This work addresses the design of bus operator workstations such that they fit or
accommodate people from the 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male per SAL
J833. The motivation of the work presented is to reduce injuries and workers'
compensation claims. While attempting to maintain the amount of adjustment at a
minimum to contain costs, adjustment was included in many components like the
instrument panels, seat and steering wheel. The controls were grouped in the instrument
panels by their function, such that those used often are grouped together and those
dealing with passenger pick-up and delivery are placed in a right-hand instrument panel.
Ingress / egress of the operator, often necessary to assist passengers such as those using
wheelchairs, is facilitated through movement of the components like the seat and steering
column. A jury evaluation of over one hundred subjects was conducted in a static
mockup. The jury evaluation showed that the workstation accommodates the above
population range and provides the range of component location adjustment required for a
population ranging from the small female to the large male. Also, a scientific approach
using the neutral seating reference point (NSRP) was used to determine ranges of design
variables. Next, the program JACKS was used to validate the design specifications. In
addition, a study was conducted to determine which seat would be the "best" to use in
terms of an objective vibration comparison. Finally, the design specifications were
implemented into a prototype consisting of a retrofitted ~ 973 GMC bus. Twenty-four bus
operators were used in evaluating the prototype by driving the vehicle through various
maneuvers. From the joint measurements, component measurements, and operator
comments, it was found that the workstation was suitable. The small female operators felt
some decrease in comfort during the driving session; however, it is felt this was due to
the seat. The medium and large operators did not feel a measurable decrease in comfort.
