PRT Announces Release of New App to Aid Visually Impaired Riders

Written by Allison Frazer

Pittsburgh Regional Transit has teamed up with a popular and widely used visual interpreting service called Aira to create an app that will allow visually impaired riders to navigate the PRT system easier.

Aira is a California-based company that allows online helpers to connect to the user's camera on their smartphone. Then, through visuals provided by the user to the online helper, interpreters can help them find their way around by reading out bus stops and road signs to provide context for riders. 

PRT will pay the company $10,000 a year to provide riders access to this accessibility tool. The app is free to all who use it. 

This application is utilized across the country at universities, airports, museums, stores, entertainment venues, and transit agencies.

Prior to this app, visually impaired riders would take advantage of using GPS on their cellphones to hear the streets they were passing so they could identify when their stop was approaching. The Aira partnership is adding another tool to visually impaired riders’ repertoire to navigate the transit system more efficiently. 

Visually impaired users have noted that the effectiveness of the app is only as good as the visuals provided by the user and the interpretations made by the online helper on the other end. While it may not be like having an in-person guide, the app can provide users with more autonomy when using the PRT.

The Aira app is now available for free download on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.