Software programmer Cassie Hames is a regular bus user, and is also legally blind. To make it easier to hail public buses, she’s developing an app that would trigger an alert to the driver.
The Adelaide software developer regularly uses a stop that is serviced by several routes, but selecting the right one can be difficult.
“What I actually do is stand at the bus stop with my cane and wear a high-vis vest and hold out a sign with the bus number I want to catch, and then I’m relying on the [driver] to see that sign,”Hames said.
Convinced that there must be a better way, Hames became determined to devise something that not only helps her but others as well.
Using her professional expertise as a programmer, she has set about developing a simple, elegant and user-friendly solution — an app called “See Me”.
How does the app work?
Rather than being forced to wait anxiously on a kerb in the hope of hailing the right bus, people who are blind or visually impaired would instead have the option of alerting the driver from their phone.
When the user is at the bus stop, they see a list of buses that are due to arrive soon on the app. They can click request. The bus will have a device to receive the request. As the bus is approaching the stop, the bus driver gets a notification to say someone’s waiting.
How does the bus driver know when to drop off the passenger?
Once on board, users would also have the option of again resorting to the app as they approached their stop. You can also select what stop you want to get off at, instead of trying to find where the button is on the bus.
How much does it cost to develop the app?
Hames was recently named as one of three recipients of this year’s international Holman Prize. The award is bestowed by the San Francisco-based LightHouse, an advocacy organization for the blind and visually impaired, and comes with $US25,000 in grant money to fund projects such as See Me.
Are there similar apps like See Me?
While there are already several existing methods providing assistance to Adelaide public transport users who are blind and visually impaired — including audio messages at train and tram stops, Hames is not aware of anything comparable to See Me.
Is the See Me app currently available?
Hames is in discussions with state transport departments around Australia about future uptake, and is aiming to have the app ready for a trial by August next year.
