Accessibility

What it is

Accessibility means that anyone can use a service, whether they can see or not, hear or not, walk or not. In autonomous mobility it covers booking, finding the vehicle, getting on, travelling, getting off and asking for help.

Why it matters

When there is no driver, who helps the person travelling?

The vehicle and the service have to solve assistance during the journey: deploying the ramp, announcing the stop and locating the person waiting. Since June 2025, European accessibility law applies to passenger transport, depending on the service.

Source: Directive (EU) 2019/882; Spanish Law 11/2023

Four tasks that the driver does today and that, without one, the service has to solve.

• With a driver, they deploy the ramp. Without one, the vehicle has to detect that it is needed and deploy it.
• With a driver, they announce the stop. Without one, the service has to give notice through a channel that anyone can use.
• With a driver, they find the person waiting. Without one, the pick-up point has to be findable.
• With a driver, they deal with the incident. Without one, the incident protocol has to work on its own.

Who can gain more independence

Older people and people with disabilities are among those who can gain most from an accessible autonomous mobility service, especially when today they depend on someone else to get around. Being able to travel on their own can help them keep up their activities and ties with the community.

In addition, almost all of us will end up with some special need as we age: we see or hear less well, walk with more difficulty or need more time. These needs will be part of our journeys as the years go by.

And designing an accessible vehicle improves the experience for everyone: a ramp works just as well with a pushchair or a suitcase, anyone appreciates a clear stop announcement, and a simple app is easier for all.

The figures: more older people and more need for accessible mobility

In Spain, 4.38 million people reported some disability in 2020 (INE EDAD survey, people living in households). In the European Union, almost one in four people aged 16 or over reports some disability: 23.9% in 2024.

The population is ageing. According to the INE projections published on 17 June 2026, people aged 65 and over are today 21.1% of the population and would reach 30.9% in 2076. In the European Union they are 21.5% in 2024 and, according to the Eurostat projections, will be 29.0% in 2050.

Disability and mobility needs from the age of 80

The EDAD 2020 survey measures how many people of each age report some disability. Between 65 and 69 it is 14 in every 100. Between 80 and 84 it is 42 in every 100, between 85 and 89 almost 58 in every 100, and from 90 on, 74 in every 100. People aged 80 and over will be a much larger group: INE projects an increase from 3.12 million in 2026 to 5.87 million in 2050 in Spain.

Data from the INE press release on the EDAD 2020 survey, covering only the population living in households. People living in care institutions are published separately: 357,894 with a disability in 2023.

How the population pyramid is changing in Spain

People aged 80 and over will be 6.3% of the population in 2026, 10.7% in 2050 and 12.2% in 2076. Those aged 90 and over rise from 693,833 to 1,435,635 between 2026 and 2050.

Data from table 36643 of the INE 2026-2076 population projections, published on 17 June 2026. The projections simulate what would happen if current demographic trends continue.

How the population of the European Union is changing

In the EU, people aged 80 and over are 6.1% of the population in 2024. Eurostat projects 10.9% in 2050 and 15.3% in 2100.

Data from the Eurostat EUROPOP2023 population projections (baseline scenario, EU-27, updated on 12 May 2026).

What this means for mobility: every year there will be more people who need a transport service they can use without help. This is a reasonable consequence of the figures. The demographic figures help to understand mobility needs; this analysis is limited to those data and to the potential benefits of the service.

What we do at AEVAC

• We work on a person's whole journey: booking, locating the vehicle, boarding, finding their way during the trip, asking for help, getting off and reaching the destination.
• We give priority to expert people with disabilities: they bring their experience to the design and testing of the service.
• AEVAC's president and co-founder is a blind person. For him, autonomous mobility means gaining freedom, and that is why he founded the association.
• Each collaboration is defined with you, according to the needs of your project.

Three ways to work together

If you design, test or launch an autonomous mobility service, these are the three lines of work we can do with you. Each is adapted to your service, your stage and your schedule.

1. Accessibility assessment of the whole journey

• What it covers: the journey end to end: booking, locating the vehicle, boarding, finding your way, asking for help, getting off and arriving.
• How we do it: we review the service step by step from the point of view of the traveller, paying attention to different disabilities: visual, hearing, mobility and cognitive.
• What you receive: a report with what works, the obstacles found and recommendations ordered by priority.
• What you provide: access to the service, a prototype or a description of the journey, and a contact person in your team.
• Scope: it is an assessment to improve the service. Certification and independent legal or technical audits require specific processes.

2. Tests with users

• What it covers: testing your service, app or vehicle with real people, older people and people with disabilities, on the parts of the journey that worry you most.
• How we do it: we define the test cases with you, prepare the sessions and observe where the person gets stuck or needs help. We can start with small tests and expand later.
• What you receive: a summary of what was observed, the most important problems and proposals for improvement.
• What you provide: what is to be tested, the test space or environment, and the permits and insurance that apply to your service.
• Scope: these are usability tests. Clinical trials and statistical studies with large samples are outside the scope.

3. Guidance on standards and requirements

• What it covers: helping you understand which accessibility standards may affect your transport service and what is expected of it.
• How we do it: we start from official sources, such as Directive (EU) 2019/882 and Spanish Law 11/2023, and translate them into concrete requirements for your case.
• What you receive: a clear guide to the applicable requirements and the recommended next steps.
• What you provide: a description of your service and the stage it is at.
• Scope: it is guidance based on official sources. Legal advice and compliance verification require a specific professional review.

Let's talk about your project

The quote is set for each engagement. Write to us and we will define together what you need.

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