Sustainable Mobility completes the rolling out of the guidance system for the visually impaired on its rail network
- The Topo line – along with the Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz tramways, Line 3 of the Bilbao subway and the Txorierri line – already has this technological solution installed, which is based on new signage accessible from any mobile phone
The Basque Minister for Sustainable Mobility, Susana García Chueca – accompanied by the Gipuzkoa provincial minister for Mobility, Tourism and Spatial Planning, Azahara Domínguez, and the director of the branch of the Once (Spanish National Organisation of the Blind) in Donostia/San Sebastián, Andrea Parte – has today taken stock of the use of NaviLens, a guidance system that makes it easier for visually impaired users of Euskotren to move through the stations. For just over a year, this technology solution based on new signage accessible from any mobile phone has already been available on the Lasarte Oria-San Sebastián-Hendaye line, along with the Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz tramways, Line 3 of the Bilbao subway and the Txorierri line.
García Chueca has confirmed that the system will be installed at the new stations of the Lugaritz-Easo and Altza Galtzaraborda bypass lines, work on which still continues and they are planned to come into service by 2026. 'At ETS and Euskotren, we have high standards of accessibility to the different means of transport under our remit; however, we want to even further democratise everyone's access to public transport, because we are convinced that it is a key element that brings us a whole range of opportunities – job, educational, social, culture and recreational; that reduces inequalities and NaviLens is a step further towards that goal’, stressed the minister.
Euskal Trenbide Sarea has so far invested €393,190 in rolling out NaviLens in 33 stations of its rail network in Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia (Topo, Line 3 of the Bilbao subway and Txorierri), as well as at all the tram stops in Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao.
The Navilens codes installed in the train stations have been scanned 39,558 times, 4,607 of which on the Topo line. Zazpikaleak-Casco Viejo in Bilbao is at top of the station ranking, followed by Otxarkoaga and Loiola. Spanish is the most used language, followed by English and Basque. The system has also been consulted in French, German, Italian, Catalan and even Japanese.
The Gipuzkoa provincial minister for Mobility, Tourism and Spatial Planning, Azahara Domínguez, stressed that the provincial government is ‘working with different associations of people with function diversity of Gipuzkoa to learn about their situation first hand and to apply the necessary measures so that everybody can have access to our buses on equal terms. In the coming months, we will therefore be working on the first protocol for universal accessibility in Lurraldebus; our aim is for our services to be accessible for all our users, in addition to being sustainable, convenient, safe and competitive’.
On behalf of the ONCE San Sebastián, Andrea Parte stressed ‘the importance of public transport being fully accessibility, which guarantees the safety and fully autonomy of people with disability. Installing elements such as contrasts, increased font size, etc. using applications such as this one, join all the other initiatives looking out for the common good of the general public, and the users of this transport; who, of course include, people who are visually impaired’.
Functioning
The new signage consists of ddTags, similar to QR codes. The labels are read using any mobile device with a camera and internet connection. The strengths of this systems are that the signs can be read from a great distance, and can be detected in any lighting and from any reading angle.
The visually impaired can thus use these codes, as they do not need to precisely know where the signs are place. The information obtained from each label is read out loud and informs the user of the position, distance and direction to the marker. This information is available in 34 languages, including Basque, and thus breaks down all linguistic barriers.
Users need to first download the free NaviLens app to access the system. Once installed in the mobile device and with the app open, the user just has to scan the code with the camera on their mobile and obtain the necessary contextualised information. The NaviLens codes can be captured as the user moves along and without needing to focus, which is an essential feature for the visually impaired. The application is available for IOS and Android.
There is also another way of accessing the information in Basque. The user just has to download the AhoTTS application, a text-to-speech conversion system developed by the Aholab research group at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). It is only available for Android at the moment.
Furthermore, some NaviLens codes, such as the ones on the platforms, also have QR codes with information on the running times. This feature is aimed at people without disabilities as QR codes in contrast do require the users to focus on them with their cameras. Once the codes have been scanned, the NaviLens GO application will open and show the real time information of the times the next trains or trams will be arriving.
This is a more accessible and easier system for users to relate to places such as subway stations and tramway stops. The main goal is for the visually impaired to get around independently and autonomously.
A pilot test was run at Bilbao's Casco Viejo subway station during early 2021 and which received the approval of the Territorial Delegation of the ONCE [Spanish National Organization of the Blind] in the Basque Country. In its report, the ONCE pointed out that ‘it is an excellent information tool in technology-supported guidance, although it should coexist with other less technological resources that have also proven their effectiveness and need for the autonomy of the blind along those routes’.