See Me: Transforming passenger experience on public transport

See Me a ground-breaking app developed by Cassie Hames, a software programmer who is legally blind and employed by SAGE Automation, is set to transform the public transport experience for Australia’s blind and vision-impaired community.

The See Me app is designed to empower people when using a bus by making it more accessible for all. With existing trials in place this project will enable the developers of See Me the opportunity to expand the app’s current functionality and deliver the following key project objectives:

• Understand Australia-wide public transport authorities’ readiness for the See Me app
• Expansion from existing proof of-concept trials to a scaled solution
• Increase functionality in the app, including making it work for other modes of public transport
• Understand market commercial readiness to scale the solution

When apps are created, accessibility is usually an afterthought. That’s not the case with the See Me app, as it has been designed with accessibility in mind from the start. While See Me has initially been designed to support people who are blind or vision-impaired, it is something that people of all abilities can use, with a broader potential to ease anxiety for all public transport customers.

Participants

• SAGE Automation
• iMOVE Australia

Project background

See Me is an app designed to empower people when using a bus by making it more accessible for all.

See Me aims to address key problems that are barriers for people using public transport, including:

• Signalling the bus driver – Empowering people both with and without a disability with the knowledge that the bus is approaching and notifying the driver that someone is waiting for their bus at that bus stop, helping to improve independence.
• Requesting assistance – By requesting this additional service ahead of time, the bus will pull in close to the curb as it approaches, providing a safer experience for the passenger.
• Request acknowledgements – Text and voice alerts give confidence to passengers when the bus is approaching the desired pick-up and destination stop.
• Requesting the bus to stop – For people with a disability it can be a stressful experience not knowing if a bus will stop to pick you up. It can also be physically dangerous to seek the stop button on board while the bus is in motion. This feature empowers all passengers to request a stop easily and safely.

Project objectives

The mission of the See Me app is to address the needs of people with disabilities, who are often neglected by solutions providers.

The ideal result of this project is to have the See Me app trialled within every state and territory in Australia to understand localised issues for the blind and vision-impaired community using public transport. SAGE is currently speaking to various public transport networks about limited trials of the app.

This project enables the solution to scale further across Australia and increase product functionality, taking it from its current proof of concept readiness to a more commercial-ready solution that can scale.

Funding this work will greatly reduce the anxiety many people experience when travelling on public transport networks.

For more information on the See Me app visit Sage Automation’s page, at: See Me: Bus Signalling App

UPDATE: December 2023

The See Me project was awarded ‘Initiative of the Year’ at the 2023 Centre for Accessibility Australia Access Awards.

UPDATE: February 2024

From Monday 5 February the See Me app will be trialled for a six-month period on the 99A and 99C free City Connector services, available in the Adelaide CBD from Monday to Friday.

“Public transport should be a safe and accessible option for all travellers and the See Me app helps provide greater inclusiveness for visually impaired people. The app will also increase accessibility for all users of public transport by providing users with the ability to review their route and be notified of their destination stop,” said Tom Koutsantonis, South Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

UPDATE: April 2024

Following a trial of its See Me app in Port Macquarie alongside operator partner Busways, SAGE Automation has been selected to participate in the Bus Boarding Assistant Innovation Challenge to trial apps that empower customers with vision impairment or reduced mobility to access bus transport services more independently.