Emerging Technologies

This smartphone app can help blind people navigate more trains and buses. Here's how

Waymap loads detailed mapping data onto a smartphone and uses motion sensors to offer precise directions.

Waymap loads detailed mapping data onto a smartphone and uses motion sensors to offer precise directions. Image: Unsplash/Edward Lee

Share:
Our Impact
What's the World Economic Forum doing to accelerate action on Emerging Technologies?
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how United States is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:

United States

  • An app designed to help visually impaired or blind pedestrians use more public trains and buses debuted at a Washington subway station in May.
  • Waymap loads detailed mapping data onto a smartphone and uses motion sensors to offer precise directions.
  • The app will be deployed in phases, with the goal of mapping 30 train stations and nearly 1,000 bus stops by September.

An app designed to help visually impaired or blind pedestrians use public transit debuted at a Washington subway station in May.

Waymap aims to expand travel options for blind and visually impaired people with step-by-step audio directions that it says are accurate up to 3 feet (0.9 meter) throughout a trip.

Waymap: Mapping the way for the blind

The app does not use GPS and can operate regardless of cellphone signal strength indoors or outdoors. It loads detailed mapping data onto a smartphone and uses motion sensors on the phone to offer precise directions.

Advocates for the blind, Washington's transit system Metro, Verizon Communications, which provided support through its start-up accelerator program, and the app's founder touted the launch in Washington at a May news conference.

"Mobility is not a luxury,” said Waymap founder and CEO Tom Pey, who is blind and argues other apps are not precise enough. "It is, in fact, a human right."

Blind travelers often use a small number of routes from home because they are relying on memory to get around and they lack confidence, Pey said.

"Instead of 2.5 routes you can do 25 routes, 250 routes," Pey said. "This will allow more people to become more independent - not to have to rely on family and friends - and use public transport like everyone else."

Waymap will be deployed in phases with the goal of deploying the app at up to 30 Metro train stations and nearly 1,000 bus stops by September and across the entire Metro system by early 2023.

"It’s part of our mission to make Metro accessible to all people at every walk of life," said Metro CFO Dennis Anosike.

Pey hopes other people in Washington without visual disabilities will eventually use the Waymap app to help refine directions and improve the maps. "You're actually donating your steps to a blind person," Pey said.

Discover

What is the World Economic Forum doing to close the disability inclusion gap?

Have you read?
Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:
Emerging TechnologiesEquity, Diversity and Inclusion
Share:
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

Why AI is the new frontier global trade must learn to cross

Patrick McMaster

October 9, 2024

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum