Moovit introduces specific functions for the blind.
Moovit, the most widely used local transport app on the iPhone, has since the end of March made important accessibility features available in Version 4.10 to help the blind and visually impaired travel on public transport.
Autonomy in movement is undoubtedly an extremely important condition for blind people to be able to organise and manage their everyday life in the easiest and most self-sufficient way.
Moovit now provides the possibility to activate on mobile devices VoiceOver for iOS or TalkBack for Android. Through these modules, it becomes possible to navigate through all the screens of the app, listening to information on all available functions.
In order to develop the new accessibility modules, the Moovit team worked closely with a blind developer: Adi Kushnir, a student from Tel Aviv who works as a consultant on many projects related to accessibility in the digital world and who, in this case, provided his expertise to ensure that the product is also user-friendly for visually impaired people using public transport.
Using VoiceOver and TalkBack is very simple: blind people only have to hold their fingers on the phone screen to hear directions to the selected function. This helps them navigate seamlessly through the app and allows them to easily plan journeys by public transport.
Adi Kushnir comments: "One of the biggest advantages of version 4.10 is that you can now explore the map and route from home, before setting off on your journey. For us blind people, it is very important to already be familiar with the route once we set off on our journey. Another advantage is that we no longer have to depend on voice announcements at stops: Moovit warns you when you have arrived at your destination and need to get off. In addition, these updates allow us to use the same technology as everyone else, without having to resort to different apps and smartphones for the blind."
The new version 4.10 also allows visually impaired users to synchronise their favourite lines, locations, ranking and all preferences in the app with Facebook and their Google account, so that they are always easily available.
To provide information, Moovit combines data from the transport companies, which subscribe to the app for free, with real-time data from the user community, giving travellers a more accurate and timely snapshot of their journey, with the fastest and most convenient routes to their desired destination and without unnecessary waiting.
Moovit is available free of charge on the App Store, in 40 languages, and is currently used worldwide by 35 million users in 800 cities in 60 countries, and in Italy it has 2.5 million users in over 40 cities.
Dr. Carmelo Chines
Direttore responsabile
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