On 12 May, from 11:00 to 12:30, the ULTIMO project will host the 7th webinar in its series, this time focusing on the needs of passengers with reduced mobility. With the title, “From design to impact: how to conceive inclusive AV services.” Industry experts will discuss:
The synergy between UX design, governance, and public trust.
Identifying user needs at the early design stages.
Integrating accessibility into vehicles and digital interfaces.
Introduction: A key question in the field of automated mobility, and a central theme of the ULTIMO project, is how automated transport systems can be designed to serve everyone while also building public trust. As automated vehicle (AV) systems continue to evolve, ensuring equal access to AV services for all users is both a fundamental imperative. Accessibility, however, goes beyond physical access; it also includes digital and cognitive aspects, ensuring that information about AV services is easy to understand and use.
Enabling independent mobility for passengers with reduced mobility, such as the elderly and other vulnerable groups with specific needs, is therefore essential and will be central to this upcoming webinar. With new European regulations reinforcing accessibility as a fundamental right, the need to integrate inclusion from the earliest design stages has never been more critical. You can find the list of expert speakers below, along with registration form at the bottom of the page.
Moderator: Dr. Güzin Akyıldız Alçura is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, Transportation Division, at Yıldız Technical University (YTU), Istanbul, where she has been a faculty member since 2000. She completed her Ph.D. in 2013 with research on airport gate assignment optimization. Her scholarly work spans public transportation service quality, accessible mobility, high-speed rail passenger satisfaction, and traffic engineering. She has published in international journals including Transportation Research Record, Sustainability, and Transport. Her recent research addresses transportation barriers for passengers with disabilities and electric vehicle adoption. She has led and contributed to funded research projects supported by TÜBİTAK and YTU, covering topics from high-speed rail service quality and modal choice behavior to accessible urban bus transportation and mobility barriers faced by people with disabilities. Dr. Akyıldız Alçura supervises graduate students and contributes to YTU’s sustainability research agenda, with her work aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals on inclusive cities and sustainable infrastructure.
Expert speakers:
Linda Mathé, User Experience Researcher and ULTIMO WP2 Lead at Siemens AG, who brings over 25 years of experience in user-centred design, focusing on making technology intuitive, efficient, and inclusive. Together with Markus Dubielzig, they will both present “Public Transport is a Service, not just a Technology”.
Markus Dubielzig is a Senior Key Expert Consultant for Accessibility at Siemens AG and recently assumed the lead of the Siemens Accessibility Competence Center at Siemens Foundational Technologies. With more than 30 years of experience working closely with blind and visually impaired colleagues, he is a recognized expert in accessibility, assistive technologies, and accessible design. He has been actively involved in international, European, and national accessibility standardization bodies and is passionate about creating technology that adapts to humans, not the other way around.
Andrea Isaachsen Olvin, Project Manager for Accessibility at Ruter, works on developing equitable and universally designed public transport systems through strategic and cross-disciplinary approaches.
Dr. Takashi Hikasa, Associate Professor at Tama University, presents “From Behaviour to Acceptance: Cooperation and Governance in Inclusive Automated Mobility.” His research explores the ethical, legal, and social implications of AI and automated driving, with a focus on social acceptance and public trust.
Sign up now!
You can sign up for the webinar by filling in the attached form below; a Microsoft Teams invite will be sent to you following completion.