SBIR Phase I: SeeingBus: Improving Public Transportation Services for the Blind

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I is the improvement of public transportation services for people with disabilities, specifically people with visual impairments. Individuals with visual impairments are heavily dependent on public transit as an essential service for engaging in daily life and social activities. However, they often face challenges with (1) determining which bus to board, especially at busy bus stops when multiple buses approach, and (2) boarding the correct bus in a timely fashion before they leave the stop. By developing an advanced notification service for alerting bus drivers, SeeingBus will address the societal and market needs to mitigate these challenges and thereby promote independent use of public transportation among people with visual impairments. Improving accessibility of public transportation to people with disabilities along with enhancing perception of their service will boost ridership resulting in increased revenue for agencies. The project will contribute to the scientific community as well as society in general by advancing understanding of Smart City services needed for independent travel of people with disabilities. The proposed project will develop and commercialize a Smart City service to improve public transportation for people with visual impairments. The service, SeeingBus, provides an advanced notification to bus drivers about users waiting at their next stop. People with visual impairments often miss buses due to challenges they face with boarding the correct bus. SeeingBus aims to improve accessibility of public transportation by engaging bus drivers even before the bus arrives at the stop where riders with visual impairments are waiting. As part of the smart city vision, SeeingBus will enhance connectivity of public transportation systems through greater communication between riders, bus stops, and bus drivers by means of smart sensors. Using big data, SeeingBus alerts bus drivers about users with disabilities, so the drivers can assist individuals in boarding the bus safely. The research objective of this project is to develop and test the feasibility of the SeeingBus system. Advancing public transportation, essential to promoting the travel and independence of individuals, aligns with the NSF mission to advance prosperity and welfare through scientific advancements. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.