Inclusive Transit Design: Ergonomics, Experience and Equity in Public Transport Interiors

Public transport interiors are critical yet underexplored settings in urban design and mobility research. This chapter examines transit interiors as social and spatial infrastructures that shape comfort, safety, wellbeing, accessibility and perceptions of inclusion. Drawing on a qualitative, theory-driven synthesis of literature from transport studies, interior architecture, ergonomics, environmental psychology, human-centred design, and disability and inclusion studies, the chapter develops a conceptual framework for inclusive transit interior design. The framework brings together Universal Design, inclusive ergonomics, human-centred and empathy-based design, and sensory and cognitive accessibility. The discussion shows that physical accessibility, although essential, is not sufficient to secure equitable participation in public transport environments. Inclusive transit interiors must also respond to sensory diversity, cognitive load, emotional comfort and social interaction, particularly under conditions of crowding, time pressure and stress. The chapter considers how interior elements, including seating, circulation, lighting, materials, wayfinding systems and information interfaces, influence passenger experience and operational outcomes. Its scope includes rail, metro, tram and bus environments, as well as users with disabilities, older adults, neurodivergent passengers and people experiencing temporary impairments or situational vulnerability. Rather than offering mode-specific design guidelines, the chapter clarifies concepts and identifies relationships between physical design, sensory conditions, cognition, emotion and social interaction. By integrating fragmented knowledge across design and transport disciplines, it provides a theoretical foundation for later research and design practice concerned with safer, more comfortable and more equitable public transport systems. The proposed framework can support policymakers, transport authorities, designers and researchers in developing mobility environments that accommodate diverse user needs while recognising transit interiors as lived, embodied and socially meaningful spaces.