Blind Moncton resident welcomes new Codiac Transpo announcement system
Feature will be installed on entire fleet over next year, city spokesperson says
For Matt Hayes, a new addition to Codiac Transpo buses in Moncton has meant more independence.
Hayes describes himself as legally blind, and he said public transit is the main way he gets around.
It can be challenging to take the bus on unfamiliar routes because he can't spot street signs or other landmarks, he said. Until now, he has had to rely on the driver to let him know when to get off.
But buses on five routes are now equipped with a new audio-visual system that announces the approaching stop and displays the name of the stop on a screen at the front.
"It was a pleasant surprise," Hayes said. "I was on the bus over to Riverview, where I started hearing the automated voice go off and say when the stops were coming."
Hayes said the new technology is a "great relief" that makes getting around Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe much easier for him.
"It's one less thing to worry about on my plate, one less thing for the bus driver to worry about," he said.
The system was first tested during the summer on a single route and was expanded in late November, said City of Moncton spokesperson Aloma Jardine.
The plan is to install it on every bus in the fleet within the next year, she said.
Moncton isn't the only community in the province with such a system in place. A spokesperson for the City of Fredericton said its fleet of buses has had a similar feature since 2023. And an official with the City of Miramichi said it's something that's on their radar.
In Moncton, Jardine said the $310,000 project was designed in collaboration with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, which helped to "tweak it to make it better."
Work on the project began in early 2023, said Jardine. Some of the initial tweaks involved adjusting the volume of the announcements, making them bilingual without making them too long and condensing the number of stops that are announced on short stretches, she said.
"As we add new routes, there would probably be little other things that we're going to have to adjust," she said.
"We hope that as people are using it and listening, that they will reach out if they have some feedback because that is what helps make it better."
Hayes said he hopes Codiac Transpo will prioritize adding the new system to buses on less populated routes. Right now, it's available on the green line, which runs from Magnetic Hill through the downtown to Champlain Mall in Dieppe, and on four other popular routes, namely the 16 Hennessey, 50 Red, 60 Bessborough and 86 Pinewood.
Hayes said adding dedicated parking spots for particular buses at connection points would make navigating the transit system more accessible for people who are blind.
He expects the new announcement system will also help newcomers who are learning to navigate the city and people who may be uncomfortable or unable to ask for help from the driver, he said.
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