Track: Human Factors and Ergonomics

Abstract

Motorized tricycles are local form of auto rickshaw in the Philippines. These are a common means of public transport in the country that transport in small towns and cities, especially in the rural areas. Motorized tricycles are built in a variety of styles, which differ from city to city, and are usually made locally by building a sidecar and affixing it to a motorcycle. Passenger tricycles can accommodate from four passengers to as many as six excluding the driver. However, the passengers of tricycles are commonly subjected to awkward postures and uncomfortable environment that can cause discomfort and musculoskeletal disorders. According to Philippine Statistics Authority, there are 4,488,507 registered motorized tricycles in the country. 853,075 of these are operating in National Capital Region. The increasing number of tricycles are brought about by increasing volume of commuters in the country. This also translated into higher number of passenger complaints on their experience of discomfort and musculoskeletal disorders when riding the tricycle. Given these conditions, the paper aims to assess the current design of motorized tricycle in the country, identify factors that affect the discomfort level of passengers in riding the tricycle and come up with an ergonomic design of motorized tricycle that would be a standard blueprint in the Philippines. Although passenger comfort is a crucial indicator of service quality, existing studies tend to focus only on the design of cabin or vehicle body that takes into account the postural condition of passengers. Therefore, the researchers have conducted review of related literature, direct observation, surveys, interview, and use of ergonomic assessment tools in order to examine factually and accurately the passengers’ discomfort level based on numerous factors such as postural condition, environmental condition, road condition and health condition of passengers.  Statistical analyses such as correlation, stepwise regression technique, and residual analysis were performed in order to determine the factors affecting the discomfort level of passengers. Finally, quality function deployment matrix was used to determine customer requirements that will be considered in the ergonomic design of motorized tricycle. Key findings in the study revealed that factors that affect the discomfort level of passengers in riding the tricycle are the following: sitting height, hip height, hip breadth, buttock-popliteal length, popliteal height, noise level, heat index, vibration level, and travel duration. The authors were able to come up with an ergonomic design of motorized tricycle that considered all the factors the appeared significant in the study. The researchers applied the principles of anthropometry in the design in order to match the critical dimensions of the tricycle to the body dimensions of passengers.