Hamburg
CUSTOM - Customizable, User-Centric, and Innovation-Driven Mobility Assistance System Empowering Diverse Impaired Users Groups to Access Public Transportation Seamlessly Cross-Modal and -Regional in Hamburg's Metropolitan Area and beyond.
Many people in the Hamburg metropolitan area – and across Europe – have disabilities that limit their mobility and social inclusion. In Hamburg, a fragmented public transport system creates major barriers to accessible travel. CUSTOM addresses this by developing a free, inclusive mobility app that integrates all transport modes. Co-designed with users with disabilities, the solution enables independent travel for people with visual, hearing, cognitive and physical impairments – creating a scalable model for inclusive mobility across Europe.
Our main challenges...
Disability is not a one-size-fits-all status. The user group consists of individuals with diverse and unique needs.
Developers and project managers often lack direct experience of the public transport challenges that passengers with disabilities encounter daily.
Fragmented public transportation system: The Hamburg Transport Association includes 28 transport operators and various modes of transportation such as rail, bus and ferry, using diverse hardware and legacy systems.
and proposed solutions
An app that offers customisable accessibility features and adaptable interfaces, enabling each user to tailor their experience for maximum usability.
The target group is represented within the partnership by a non-profit organisation. This enables co-participation and co-creation by people with disabilities, helping the project team gain authentic user insights.
Transport operators are engaged as active project partners. Their direct involvement enables coordinated development, joint ownership, and effective integration of inclusive mobility solutions across diverse regions and transportation modes.
Key figures
Milestones
Phased rollout plan for CUSTOM and methodologies for various modes of transportation are agreed
CUSTOM integration via minimum viable product approach lays the groundwork for pilot testing
CUSTOM is implemented in buses and trains run by Hamburg’s two major transport operators
Upscaling strategy is defined for implementation in all trains, buses and ferries of the Hamburg Transport Association (HVV)
