10103287Novel AI Solution for Improving Passenger Flow Efficiency and Customer Service Productivity in Public Transport with Accessible Communication and Predictive Passenger Flow AI ModelingClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UK1.7 billion passenger rail journeys take place each year, but for millions of passengers, announcements and disruption information is not accessible. Our solution shall reach a broad demographic of public transport passengers to enable equality of access to travel information, supporting their dignity of independent travel whilst reducing rail operational costs in support passengers with communication needs. **Why it matters** Routine and disrupted rail service information must be effectively communicated to passengers to improve passenger independence and support efficiency of staffing and quality of customer services. Use of public information display screens is effective for the population who can readily see and comprehend written English but excludes a wide range of people. * screens are too far away to be legible for 2 million people * screen-reader or assistive technology supports 30% of people[][0]with limited vision and/or blindness * [][1] 17% of people prefer spoken to written words * dyslexia impedes readingfor 10% of the population, 4% severely[][2] * limited literacy affects 8.5 million people[][3]in the UK * English is not the first language for 4.2 million people resident in the UK[][4] * 87,000 d/Deaf people rely on or prefer British Sign Language[][5]. d/Deaf school leavers may have limited English literacy (English is not their first language) with a school-leaver reading age 8-10 years behind the national average. **Improving passenger flow and well-being** Passengers report travel anxiety, attributed to and exacerbated by reduced access to public transport information, is off-putting and can cause * Avoidance of public transport * Longer overall journey times, with passengers feeling the need to arrive much earlier and plan multiple contingent arrangements * Seek support from customer service personnel * Seek support from friends and family companions Passenger flow and operational efficiency will be improved by empowering self-service for the long-tail of passengers who struggle with information announcements and arrival/departure boards. **This project eases passenger flow, and collects data to generate actionable, predictive analytics** for train operating companies and stations to improve efficiency and productivity of staffing and resources, creating a virtuous circle of benefits for passengers and rail service providers. [0]: https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2016/11/01/results-of-the-2016-gov-uk-assistive-technology-survey/?_ga=2.41623393.253557993.1698916770-1062459269.1697187649 [1]: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/10/06/younger-adults-more-likely-than-their-elders-to-prefer-reading-news/ [2]: https://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/learning-disabilities/a-to-z/d/dyslexia#:~:text=How%20many%20people%20have%20dyslexia%3F%20Approximately%2010%25%20of,about%20375%2C000%20pupils%20with%20dyslexia%20in%20the%20UK. [3]: https://literacytrust.org.uk/parents-and-families/adult-literacy/ [4]: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/language/articles/peoplewhocannotspeakenglishwellaremorelikelytobeinpoorhealth/2015-07-09#:~:text=Around%201%20in%2013%20people,English%20or%20Welsh%20in%20Wales [5]: https://bda.org.uk/help-resources/