New criteria of taxis design as public transport for disables users in Malaysia

Malaysia has a population of 27.17 million people. To achieve a meaningful life, in order to participate in social, economic, politic and culture, public transports become very important. According to Welfare Department of Malaysia, the numbers of disabled people is 197,519 people. The increased number of disabled people required the barrier free in Malaysia transport system. The integration of disabled people into community demands a practical system in local public transport. Accessibility to transport services is an essential factor in ensuring a high-quality, efficient, sustainable transport system. Wheelchair user is one of disabled group who really want special attentions to access public transport. In order to fulfil this requirement, researcher look forward to choose a taxis because taxis have a key role to play in the provision of door-to-door services for wheelchair users because this kind of public transport offered the availability in both time of day or night and their door-to-door operations mean they are particular value to people with disabilities This study aims to find out the optimal features and design for next generation taxis from costumers (wheelchair user) and drivers point of views. This research was done in Klang Valley area. Researcher was used observation; interview and questionnaire as a method to collect data from users and all research material are based on data collections from user information. This study involved different customers segment like senior citizen, wheelchair user, people who have visual impairment and social group (mobility associations of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor). Researcher was recorded passenger's behaviors from natural environment and analyzes all the data to perform the conclusion.