28th September, Leicester, UK – Vix Technology has worked with Leicester Buses and charity Vista to provide a solution aiding and streamlining public transport use for people with disabilities. 

In a pioneering collaboration for Vix Technology, and as part of its mission to build greater inclusivity of transit services, we have worked directly with a charitable organisation to help make bus services more accessible for passengers with sight loss. This is part of a larger project in which Vix is working with Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council to roll out new totem displays. 

The project involved Vista surveying a range of stops to identify those most often used by people with sight loss. From these surveys, Vista selected 21 stops to offer our solution. The solution includes sophisticated text-to-speech functionality to help passengers with sight loss to use bus stops and get the information they need for their journey. 

Vix is proud that our solution has been selected as one which will better meet the needs of passengers who have visual impairments and which contributes to promoting more inclusive and accessible public transport.

The totem displays provided by Vix Technology use long-life batteries, meaning they can be installed anywhere and they have no reliance on mains or solar power, offering greater flexibility. With the added benefit of text-to-speech, our displays can provide real-time passenger information for everyone, empowering those with disabilities.

Matthew Wilks, Vix Technology, Business Development Manager, said: “Working with Vista and helping to support local people with sight loss in Leicester will help make the public transport network more accessible to all. Through the supply of the Real Time Displays combined with the Text-to-speech functionality, we can support a better and more informed journey. Vix are proud to be working with Vista and helping the transit users with sight loss in the region, and we are confident that these additions to the bus stops will have a significant positive impact on their journeys.”

Lesia Smaditch, Project Manager at Vista, said: “We are delighted to partner with Vix Technology on a solution that will make it easier for passengers with sight loss to use bus stops and access the information they need for their journey. This is a simple but effective way to empower those with disabilities and ensure they can travel with confidence. We are committed to improving the lives of people with sight loss and this is just one of the ways that we are striving to achieve this.”

The new displays will be installed in December 2023 and January 2024.