Research on use of a bus by a blind person.

This short article briefly presents the results of a survey carried out to ascertain: a) the difficulties encountered by blind people when travelling by bus; and b) what technical aids and information they require in order to enable them to do so. The study was undertaken in two phases. The first involved a household survey of some 30 blind bus users. The second involved a "test" bus journey undertaken by a blind person. Problems encountered included: a) difficulty in assessing the time spent at the bus stop; b) difficulty in identifying the correct bus, and the correct bus stop once on the bus, and in obtaining timetable information. Technical aids required include provision of bus travel information in braille at bus stops, and the use of voice announcements, both to indicate which bus is arriving at the bus stop, and for giving passenger information when on the bus.