Disabled, but at what cost?: an examination of wheelchair routing algorithms

Platforms like Google Maps or Bing Maps are used by a large number of users to find the shortest path to their destinations. While these services mainly focus on supporting drivers and pedestrians, first services exist that support wheelchair users. Routing algorithms for wheelchair users try to avoid obstacles like stairs or bollards and optimize on criteria like surface properties and slope of the route. In this study, we undertake the first controlled examination of wheelchair routing approaches. By analyzing three routing platforms, including two wheelchair routing algorithms and three pedestrian routing algorithms, across fifteen major cities in Germany, our results highlight that the routes for wheelchair users are significantly longer and partially also more complex than those for pedestrians. In addition, we show that today's pedestrian routing algorithms also output very diverse routes.