On Tuesday, August 24, BC Transit started to roll out the automated voice annunciators on 25 of our buses in the Victoria Regional Transit System.
The installation on the first 25 buses will ensure that the devices are working effectively with the public address system and that the street locations are being accurately announced throughout the region before final installation on the remaining 255 buses.
Bus riders will hear the new system active on all buses in the Victoria Regional Transit System by the end of October.
“We are increasingly seeing visitors who want to experience the destination as a local does, and this includes taking public transportation. Day bus passes are one of the highest selling items at our Visitor Centre. This service will greatly assist visitors in knowing where they are in the region and help ensure they have the best possible experience in the destination,” says Paul Nursey, President and CEO of Tourism Victoria.
“Members of the Canadian Federation of the Blind are very pleased that BC Transit is taking concrete steps to equip our buses with automated GPS stop annunciation devices. Five of us had an opportunity to test drive a demonstration bus that worked very well and with some fine tuning the new system will definitely make public transit more accessible for blind riders and many others.” -Oriano Belusic, CFB representative
Take a listen to what you can expect when you ride a bus equipped with the automated voice annunciators:
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