A new app is now available in Sault Ste. Marie to help people who are blind or have vision loss navigate the transit system.
Sault Transit has worked with CNIB Frontier Accessibility to launch the BlindSquare app, a navigation system that uses GPS technology to help riders take transit. BlindSquare is a software that uses GPS technology to estimate the proximity of bus stops, when passengers will arrive at each stop and can audibly identify bus stops.
Who is CNIB Frontier Accessibility?
CNIB Frontier Accessibility is a CNIB Foundation social enterprise supporting businesses and organizations to ensure all Canadians with disabilities can benefit from barrier-free communities and workplaces.
Is this service available in other cities?
Sault Ste. Marie is the first city in the country to integrate entire bus routes into the app.
How many routes are available currently on the app?
Currently, the app can be used on two bus routes, including the North Street Route and the Sault College Route. One route actually services the local CNIB office. The other, it focuses on post-secondary institutions with Sault College and Algoma University to help provide service to those individuals there.
Are there plans for more routes?
The program will run on those two routes and next year, the city will review feedback to decide if it should be expanded to all transit routes.
What is the cost of the service?
The BlindSquare Event app is free for users to download, and users have unexpired access across Canada. The app has been developed for the blind, deafblind and partially sighted. It’s self-voicing app delivers detailed points of interest and intersections for safe, reliable travel both outside and inside.
The cost is at approximately $6,000 per year for the city to have this service in place.
