I use a lot of apps when I travel, as I’m sure most of us do these days. While I think solid cane skills and the confidence to pick a direction and go for it will always be the most crucial thing if you’re going to travel, there are a number of apps that can make your experiences better. I’ve divided this post into different sections, depending on the purpose of the app.
Public Transport
These apps help me when booking tickets on UK public transport, or for checking schedules.
Trainline
I find the Trainline app to be one of the most accessible apps for booking train tickets. It’s fully accessible using Voiceover, and your tickets will be available in the app, meaning that you don’t have to worry about picking them up or printing anything off. You can also purchase railcards and display them in the app as well, however at this time you cannot buy a Disabled Persons Railcard through Trainline. I suggest applying for a Disabled Persons Railcard here instead.
Passenger Assistance
The Passenger Assistance app allows you to book assistance in advance for train journeys taken within the UK. It can be useful if you want to know that you’ve booked assistance, however it’s important to remember that this is not a requirement. You have a right to turn up and go, which means you should be able to turn up at a train station and be provided with appropriate assistance, whether you’ve booked in advance or not.
I use the app because at present I do not trust the turn up and go service to work as it should, and by making a booking, I don’t have to rely on train staff to notify my destination station. I hope that we’ll get to a point where turn up and go is working as it should be, but this is where we are right now.
Moovit
It took me a while to find an app that would easily let me check bus times and track my journey when I was on the bus. Thankfully, Moovit allows me to do all of these things. I can see what lines come to a particular stop, and when I’m on the bus I can track my journey. This is extremely useful as many busses still don’t have audio announcements, which means it’s impossible to know which stop I am at.
The app is fully accessible if you’re a Voiceover user, and you can pay for an ad free version as well, which is what I chose to do.
Navigation
These apps enable me to navigate unfamiliar areas.
VoiceVista
VoiceVista is a navigation app designed specifically for blind and visually impaired people, based off Microsoft’s discontinued but very popular Soundscape app. It’s packed with a huge number of features which enable you to navigate unfamiliar environments and build up a mental map of your surroundings. A few of my favourite features include:
- Integration with Google and Apple maps for turn-by-turn navigation.
- The ability to add markers, to remember useful locations.
- Announcement of locations as you pass them, such as shops or bus stops.
- Announcing each intersection as you approach it, and describing which direction the streets run.
- Directional audio when tracking locations and hearing what’s around you. If the location you’re looking for is on your right, you will hear it more towards the right ear when wearing headphones.
The app is free however you do have the option to contribute to the cost of maintaining it and adding new features. It’s a project that I personally feel is worth supporting.
Google Maps
My generic mapping app of choice has to be Google Maps. I know that Apple Maps is accessible as a Voiceover user as well, however I’ve been using Google Maps for years and years and don’t really want to change now. I like that when planning a route I can view walking directions in advance, and when I’m actually walking, I’ll be able to see how far away I am until my next turn or the destination. This is really useful as I know when I’m getting very close to it, and I’ll start using alternative techniques to actually find the place at that point. You can also plan journeys using public transport, and read reviews for locations such as restaurants.
One thing I will say is that Google Maps doesn’t always tell me whether my destination is on my right or left, which as a blind person is even more helpful to know because I can’t look around me. Sometimes Apple Maps will tell you this, so I think it’s worth having a quick look at the route in both apps to see which is going to give you more information.
Other apps
Here are a few apps that don’t really fit into the navigation or public transport categories but are still useful when travelling.
Cash Locator
Cash Locator by Link will help you find your nearest cashpoint. I’ve included it here because it offers a number of filters, including the ability to filter for cash machines that offer audio output. If you’re blind and you do need to get cash out, it can be really irritating to find a cash machine only to realise it’s not accessible at all. This app can help you get around that issue.
Rick Steves Audio Europe
This is such a fun little app that I was pleased to come across. When you download Rick Steves Audio Europe you will have access to lots of audio guides for some of the most popular destinations in Europe. Although the app wasn’t designed for blind people, the audio format for the guides makes them particularly accessible. The app does have a few little accessibility snags if you’re a Voiceover user, but overall I think they’re fairly easy to get around, and it’s worth downloading.
Blue Badge Parking
If you’re travelling with someone who drives and you have a blue badge, Blue Badge Parking will help you find accessible parking spaces. You can either view the locations on a map or in list form. Users are encouraged to help the database grow by adding missing locations.
I hope this post was helpful and that you may have discovered a new app which will help you when you are travelling. Why not tell me about your favourite apps for travelling blind.
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This is a great list, thank you for sharing it. After way too much time, I’ve started re-evaluating the usefulness of GPS apps available here in the US. I’m wondering if you find the turn-by-turn directions to be more helpful with Google Maps, or with Apple Maps? I know each have their advantages and disadvantages and that there’s a degree of personal preference that inevitably comes into play, but I’ve honestly not used either app when actually out walking a route. I know the Apple Watch provides haptic feedback if using Apple Maps, at least it does for drivers, presumably it does for pedestrians as well? That’s kind of neat, but I’d still favor the solution that provides better spoken directions. Anyway, would definitely appreciate your thoughts on this if you’ve had the opportunity to use these services while actually out on a route.
Thanks again for another awesome post.
I also like Blind Square, although I haven’t compared it to Voice Vista. I’d be very interested in a post on how you use Aira to help with navigation as well, particularly in environments such as train stations and airports. As you know, here in the UK we were always taught that our ‘only option is to seek staff assistance, and while I’m very confident in travelling without booked assists on trains, the idea of navigating an airport solo feels quite robin@robinwilliams.blogout there to me.