The Community of Madrid deploys a voice guide system for blind people in Metro de Madrid

The Community of Madrid has installed a voice guide system in Metro through the use of a mobile phone application specially designed for people with visual and cognitive disabilities. The Regional Minister of Transport, Mobility and Infrastructure, David Pérez, visited Colombia station on line 8 today to see the project to improve accessibility on the underground.

This tool is also available at the Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 (L8) station and is expected to be operational on the entire pink line this May. It has been tested by blind, partially sighted and cognitively impaired people in collaboration with organisations with which the underground works regularly on accessibility issues. Thanks to these analyses, the application has been improved and adapted to the specific characteristics of the Metro network.

The system works by means of new generation colour codes, located at different points in the stations, which can be easily scanned using a mobile phone camera , without focusing and even at a distance of 15 metres, making it possible to use them without the need to know precisely where they are located.

Each code provides the necessary information to facilitate orientation, with the physical description of the place depending on whether it is located at the entrance, lobby, stairs or platforms. It also provides information of interest such as the status of the stop, including lifts and stairs, possible incidents on the network and even the times of the next trains.

Users need to download the NaviLens application which, after reading the codes, provides the information corresponding to the point where they are located, with the option of it appearing in voice, video or web format.

Thanks to this new technology, this group will be able to travel with greater autonomy, by using the App on their phone and listening to or viewing messages with the same information offered by the signage placed in the different spaces of the railway company. It will also be useful for people who require further guidance, from those with cognitive disabilities to tourists, as the application offers the possibility to choose the language of use.