Making Digital Transport Accessible
Digital technology is now an integral part of how people plan and make journeys. From booking tickets and checking timetables, to accessing live travel updates and navigating stations, transport apps and online services can play a significant role in helping people travel independently.
However, these services aren’t always accessible to blind and partially sighted people. Poorly designed apps, inaccessible booking systems, and information that doesn’t work with screen readers can create unnecessary barriers to independent travel.
Sight Loss Councils are working to change this.
Our National Sight Loss Councils App Testers Group brings together volunteers with lived experience of sight loss to test transport apps, identify accessibility barriers, and work with transport providers to make improvements.
Lesley testing the South Eastern app as part of the National App Testers project.
Through structured testing, our volunteers draw on their own experiences of using technology to identify problems and provide practical, user-led feedback. This helps ensure that digital transport services work for blind and partially sighted passengers, including those using screen readers, magnification, and other accessibility features.
“Ensuring transport apps are accessible is essential, particularly as many blind and partially sighted people rely on public transport to get around. Apps that are inaccessible or only partly accessible can be incredibly frustrating. It is always rewarding to be asked to test an app and help improve its accessibility.
“I particularly enjoyed testing the Southeastern app, as it is the one I use to purchase my own rail tickets. Following our work, I was able to see first-hand the improvements that had been made.”
Allison, Sussex Sight Loss Council
Our work goes beyond individual apps. We work with transport providers and industry partners to champion accessible digital services, helping to make journey planning, ticketing, and real-time travel information more inclusive.
Our aim is simple: technology should make travelling easier, not create another barrier.
