ERGONOMIC STUDY OF COMMUTTERS’ BUS CABIN

S.J. Ojolo, A. Ogundare

Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Lagos, Akoka-Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria

e-mail: sojolo@unilag.edu.ng

Mazda and Hiace buses are imported into Nigeria and used for commercial transportation. The buses cabin comes in various design and features. The seats are manufactured locally by local fabricators to accommodate 14 commuters. This work aims to design the bus cabin using anthropometrical data to ensure comfortability of commuters throughout the period of travel. Data was collected from forty (40) Hiace buses from four different parks to acquire anthropometric data of commuters important to examine the ergonomic comfortability of the seats in the bus cabin. Anthropometric data of 200 commuters, comprising 80 females and 120 males were taken. Questionnaires were also administered to the commuters to obtain information on the cabin used and postural discomfort experienced in the course of their journeys. In addition, the design attributes of Hiace buses cabins were measured. Various grey areas that required redesign were identified. In the redesign, the seat the back rest length is sectionalized with appropriate cushion. This will permit every segment of the back bone to rest fully on the seat without causing musculoskeletal related disorder. The seats are redesigned to accommodate three passengers in a row. Various discomfort and musculoskeletal disorder experienced by commuters resulting from wrong posture while travelling would be addressed when this ergonomic design is fully integrated into the buses’ cabins used in Nigeria. In addition, this could serve as enhancement to emerging automobile industry in Nigeria on the design of bus cabin.

Keywords: Investigation, commuter bus, design, ergonomics, anthropometric data