Now, this is creative thinking with high value.

Mounted on the outside of each bus, a beacon emits via Bluetooth Low Energy its unique location identifier when it is within about 180 feet of a bus stop.

The project’s app, installed on the iOS or Android smartphone of a visually impaired person waiting at the bus stop, responds by pushing a notification to the passenger’s home screen that “bus number 24 has arrived,” even if the app is not open. There is also a unique audio signal emitted by the phone.

My wife has a lot of visually impaired friends who have to use Outreach to get around, because of their vision limitations.  This just might be what they need to get out on their own.

See:  Beacons lend a helping hand to visually impaired bus passengers in Bucharest