Ergonomic Analysis and Design of the Console Panel of a Bus Rapid Transit System in a Developing Country

In the light of a number of complaints from the drivers of a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the city of Ahmedabad in India, this study investigated how the design of the control panel of the bus could influence the operational efficiency of the drivers, and aimed to collect evidence to provide the basis for the development of new concepts for revised designs by the manufacturers. The research found that there were four different types of problems: visibility of the control panel, comprehensibility of the different symbols used on the panel, placement and compatibility of different controls and displays. Two concept prototypes of the control panel were developed and tested on the drivers for their feedback on a score scale which indicated that the two prototypes were significantly better (p<0.001) compared to the original control panel design but there was no significant difference between the two prototypes.