Autobus: Selection of Passenger Seats Based on Viewing Experience for Touristic Tours

Abstract

Choosing a seat for traveling can be a complex evaluation of constraints depending on personal preferences. There are websites that help to choose the best seat in a bus, in a train, or on an airplane. However, these recommendations only consider seat-related factors and not the view from the window. While a scenic view rarely influences the decision for a seat on a plane, it is much more important for train rides and especially for scenic bus tours. Therefore, travel website users often discuss which side offers the best view on a specific trip. We propose an algorithm, which decides on which side of the road the view is the most scenic based on Google Street View images. These results can be used by travelers to choose a seat and by scenic tour providers to balance the scenic views between sides or add options during checkout