Smartphone app guides blind and partially sighted passengers round railway stations

The app, named Aira, connects people to trained agents in North America who look through the camera lens of the passenger's phone to give directions over its loudspeaker.

Launched last year at Brighton, free use of the app has now been extended to Haywards Heath, Chichester and Eastbourne, as well as eight other stations across the wider network of parent company Govia Thameslink Railway- (GTR).

GTR’s Accessibility Lead, Carl Martin, said: “We want everyone to be able to use our services, regardless of their disability or need for assistance.

“We’re always on the lookout for innovative ways to improve, and extending this app to more stations could make a real difference to blind and partially sighted people.

“All our staff are trained to assist our customers, whatever their needs. We hope this app can improve the support we already offer blind and partially sighted customers to put them in control of their journeys.

“We’re grateful to Thomas Pocklington Trust and Sight Loss Councils for helping us spread the word to as many people as possible and helping us get feedback on this latest initiative.”

David Smith, Sight Loss Council Engagement Manager for Thomas Pocklington Trust, said: “It is essential that everyone can travel independently and safely, and live the lives they want to lead. Sight Loss Councils are pleased to be working with Govia to expand this app, alongside a wider package of support designed to make transport accessible for blind and partially sighted people.

“As a blind person myself, one of the challenges with stations is they’re often large open spaces. This means that navigating to the ticket office or gateline to find a member of staff can be difficult.

“Having the support from an Aira agent means that I can confidently and independently navigate the station to locate passenger assistance and get to where I need to be. I can even drop by the coffee shop before heading to the platform!”

East Sussex Sight Loss Council Volunteer Paul Goddard tried the app at Chichester for the first time. He said: "That was excellent. It wasn't just a case of getting me from A to B, it was all the steps in between. It was literally as though I had a friend on my shoulder - really, really good."

Blind and partially sighted passengers are urged to download the app Aira Explorer from the Apple Store or Google Play on their mobile device. See editors’ notes for more details.

To help GTR understand how useful Aira is, it is asking its visually impaired customers to rate the experience of using the app with this Customer Feedback Survey which can be found on the assisted travel section of Southern's and Thameslink's websites.

The Aira app should make the railway even more accessible than it already is and could potentially open more doors for more people, promoting independent travel.

GTR selected Aira after reviewing a range of different apps and seeking feedback from customers with lived experience.

Anyone with the app downloaded to their phone will be prompted with a message as they approach the station to say that they can use it for free and without the usual five-minute limit. All the passenger has to pay for is their data, which is normally included in a mobile phone data plan. The passenger then simply taps a button to connect with an agent who looks through their camera and guides them on speakerphone.

For passengers without smartphones, there are a wide range of other options available to gain assistance to use the railway. Visit the dedicated assistance pages at Southern or Thameslink's websites.