Google Transit has changed the way people plan their public transportation trips. Now there's an app, OnTheBus, for people with visual, hearing, physical and cognitive impairments. Zak Stone describes the tool.
People with disabilities are often reliant on public transportation to get from point A to point B. A new app from Google Play will help people with various impairments navigate transit with the help of GPS, reports Zak Stone:
"Rather than typing out each individual letter of a street address, users can draw the letters on a touch pad with their finger, and the app will match it up with the likely destination," he writes, "and for the blind, the touch screen is simplified enough so that a person who can't see it can still make inputs."
The app has been released in limited markets, currently it's only set up to work in Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome. Once out of beta mode, however, the program will expand into other markets and languages.
Thanks to Jessica Brent
FULL STORY: OnTheBus Brings the Usefulness of GPS to the Visually Impaired

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