Background

Boarding facilities on wharves allow all passengers to get on and off the passenger ships safely and comfortably. This will most likely be true for major ports in Taiwan that cater for international and domestic shipping transport. However, boarding facilities in smaller ports may not always be adequate for disabled and elderly passengers.

Purpose

This study fills the gap by examining the status of boarding facilities in small ports around Taiwan and make recommendations for port authorities to improve on these boarding facilities with a focus on the needs of disabled passengers.

Basic procedures

Following field trips to ports in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and literature reviews, we compiled a preliminary list of boarding facilities and influencing factors for improvement options, and devised a study plan which includes field trips, interviews, a questionnaire survey, and analysis and recommendations.

Findings

We collected 1815 questionnaires from five groups of respondents: wharf managers, ship owners/operators, crews, non-disabled passengers and disabled passengers. The top 5 improvement options selected are: Improvement on existing facility, Universal ramp, Floating wharf, Mobile ramp with adjustable height and Japanese folding sloped ramp. The top 5 influencing factors selected are: Safety, Convenience, Effectiveness, Compatibility and Urgency.

Conclusion

Based on the questionnaire survey and our analysis, we compiled a number of observations, and made a list of recommendations to port authorities and related government agencies, ship/ferry owners, operators and crews, and passengers, so that safety and comfortability can be improved for all.