Pinellas students test out app aimed at helping those with visual impairments navigate public transportation

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - PSTA is partnering with Lighthouse of Pinellas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to spread the word about an app that helps people navigate public transportation. 

"They're here testing for the first time at PSTA an app that's being used in different places around the world to be able to help people who are low vision and blind like myself and like these teenagers to be able to navigate independently," Ross Silvers, PSTA’s ADA and community relations director, said. 

Friday, Silvers and students from Lighthouse tested the app "Lazarillo" at Grand Central Station in St. Petersburg. When you open the app, it tells you your location, announces options for bus routes and then reads turn by turn directions out loud to get you to the bus platform when you decide where to go.

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"You can go to some places specific, like, you know, more specific than if you were looking at it in another app," student Malia Bassant said. "It's really cool. It definitely gives me more independence," 

Users can also pick where they want to go based on the app’s categories like food, stores, lodging and more. 

"All they have to do is say where they want to go and tap a button, and this app navigates in there, tells them how far to walk, what direction to turn, how many steps to take and when they've arrived, so they can feel confident in being able to navigate multi-bus station like this safely," Silvers said.

"I feel like if I use this app, I can go out by myself on my own without having, you know, problems," Bassant said.

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The buses themselves also announce what bus it is when it arrives, where it’s going and it announces the stops along the way. 

According to Thalia Rosas, the public relations director for Lazarillo, the app was created about six years ago in Chile. The app is free to download.