Working in collaboration with the Royal London Society for Blind People (RLSB) and software developer ustwo, Transport for London (TfL) has created an app that will help vision-impaired people use the London Underground (LU) network without assistance.

The app, named Wayfindr, is currently being tested at Pimlico station, where six low-energy Bluetooth Beacons have been installed. These are used to provide audio directions via bone conduction earphones, which are specially designed to ensure that the wearer can still hear other sounds around them.

Isabel Dedring, deputy mayor for transport, said: “These trials will hopefully prove that this sort of technology works in real life situations and will give people more freedom and confidence to travel around our capital.”
At present, TfL provides a “turn up and go” system, which means that people who would like to be guided through stations do not need to book ahead to be able to travel independently.