Testing Auracast: Improved audio information for public transport

The Accelerating Auracast use: Everyone should hear what matters project, 100% iMOVE-funded, and undertaken with La Trobe University, Get Skilled Access, and NEC Australia, has been completed and its final report is available for download below.

This project investigated how the use of a new Bluetooth technology called Auracast could aid people, particularly people who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or low-vision and/or neurodivergent in public transport environments, to reliably access critical audio information, such as service updates, disruptions, safety announcements, and wayfinding instructions.

Introducing Auracast

Existing hearing loops have provided an important accessibility solution for many years. However, they rely on fixed infrastructure and typically require users to remain within a defined listening area. This can be particularly limiting in public transport environments where passengers move between vehicles, platforms, waiting areas, terminals and interchanges throughout a journey.

Auracast provides a new approach to assistive listening by broadcasting audio directly to personal devices such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, smartphones and headphones. It can broadcast one-to-many without pairing while using very low energy.

Today, Auracast can already deliver significant benefits by providing clearer audio, extending coverage well beyond traditional hearing loop zones, and doing so with simpler, less invasive and lower-cost deployment. It also enables multiple information channels, allowing different passenger groups to access information that is relevant to their needs rather than relying on a single broadcast for all users.

Methodology

La Trobe, NEC and GSA conducted a 6-month research and testing program, initially engaging with technology suppliers, the Transport and hearing services industries as well as directly with people living with disabilities to understand:

1. The ability for technology to support Auracast today in a transit environment;
2. The views and opinions of the transport sector regarding the importance of this sort of technology to improve accessibility outcomes for their customers; and
3. The views and opinions of the travelling public especially those with a need for assisted services around the value of such a technology in assisting them with their travel.

The outcomes of this study indicated that there was a strong need for a better solution for assistive technology for people with hearing and other related impairments, that the technology was largely ready for this use case and that the operators did see a need to provide a better outcome for their passengers through the use of such technology.

Following this study, nineteen structured trials using the Auracast technology were conducted at Melbourne Airport Terminal 4, CDC Melbourne bus services operating at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong, and the Dickson light rail and bus interchange in Canberra.

At Melbourne Airport participants evaluated departure information and mobility assistance broadcasts while moving through terminal spaces. At the bus and interchange environments participants assessed stop announcements, route information, interchange connections and mobility assistance services.

On the technical side of testing broadcast discovery, connection methods, audio quality, range, reconnection behaviour, channel management, and integration with passenger information systems were examined.

Market demand

Auracast has already been deployed in a number of environments, including:

• County Court of Victoria
• Brisbane River ferries
• Universities, churches, airports, and public facilities

A growing base of deployment is exploring applications such as assistive listening, multilingual services, event audio and public information.

This growing deployment base is creating demand for improved device compatibility, service discovery, broadcast management and user experience, further accelerating investment across the wider ecosystem.

An increased deployment in public transport is one of the real growth opportunities for Auracast.

Conclusions

Auracast offers a substantial improvement over the current use of hearing loops. Audio is clearer and more accessible and already supports use cases that extend the capabilities of conventional assistive listening systems.

A key recommendation of the report is that Auracast is ready for staged rollout in specific public transport use cases, where it can provide a cost-effective adjunct to existing passenger information and assistive listening technologies. While Auracast is not yet universally supported across all assistive hearing devices, the market is moving quickly, with most major suppliers now offering or developing Auracast-ready products. Equipping transport systems to support Auracast now would therefore provide authorities and operators with a future-ready platform as device adoption accelerates over the coming years.

Auracast should initially be deployed alongside existing hearing loop systems, not as a replacement for them, ensuring continuity of access for current telecoil users while enabling growing numbers of passengers to benefit from Auracast-enabled hearing aids, cochlear implants, smartphones and consumer audio devices.

Another key benefit of the technology is that it allows passenger information to be tailored to different needs, rather than relying on a single broadcast for all users. This could support more personalised experiences, such as exception-only updates for regular travellers, full announcements for occasional users, and dedicated information channels for passengers who are blind, deaf, hard of hearing or neurodivergent.

Expected project impacts

Like any emerging technology, Auracast is still in its early stages and requires investment and support. Its greatest potential lies in moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to accessibility, enabling public transport operators to provide a more personalised and meaningful information for different users.

Erik van Vulpen, Deputy Director Centre for Technology Infusion at La Trobe University

Auracast is ready for practical implementation in public transport environments. The technology foundation is already in place, with a growing majority of mobile devices, hearing aids and related audio products now supporting Auracast. As handset and hearing device providers continue enabling the software experience and streamlining how users discover, connect to and manage broadcasts, Auracast will become increasingly frictionless — and increasingly valuable — for the wider travelling public.

Simon Ryley, Manager – Global – Smart Transport Solutions, NEC

Download final reports

Download your copy of the final report, along with three other supporting documents. Click the links below to download:.

• Accelerating the adoption of Auracast: everyone should hear what matters (Final report)
• Aura cast User Experience Testing – Report
• Auracast Transport Pilot Technical Report: Technical Findings from Multi-Environment Passenger Information Pilots
• Auracast market overview: The next global assistive listening solution?