HRM staff investigating audio system for buses
Posted Jan 10, 2012 06:06:45 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
City staffers are looking into the possibility of adding an automated announcement system to Metro Transit buses that would inform passengers of upcoming stops.
The “audio annunciation” system is mentioned in the Metro Transit Universal Accessibility Report, presented to the city’s transportation committee on Monday.
It’s something the Canadian National Institute for the Blind has lobbied for for years.
Peter Parsons tells Metro News it’s a challenge for someone who’s visually impaired to know which bus is approaching a busy terminal like Scotia Square and, once on the bus, you have to rely on the driver to announce every stop.
Coun. Jerry Blumenthal, who’s also in favour of the automated annunciation system, says the cost could be in the millions.
Municipal staffers are currently working on a more detailed report.
