SBIR Phase II: LookingBus: Improving Public Transportation Services for the Blind

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to develop an industry-ready service to improve public transportation for riders with disabilities, specifically visual impairments. The LookingBus technology helps drivers accommodate the needs of certain riders, while limiting distractions from their primary roles of driving safely. Individuals with visual impairments depend heavily on public transit as an essential service for daily life, social activities, and employment. However, they often face challenges with (1) finding the correct bus stop, (2) determining which bus to board, and (3) departing the bus at the right stop. By developing an advanced notification service for alerting bus drivers, LookingBus will address the societal and market needs to mitigate these challenges. The product will promote independent, confident use of public transportation for riders with visual impairments, which may also promote a greater opportunity to pursue and maintain employment. The proposed project will further develop and commercialize LookingBus, an industry-ready service to enhance public transportation experience for riders with disabilities, such as visual impairments. LookingBus provides an advanced notification system alerting drivers about riders at upcoming stops and their planned destinations. The proposed system will integrate a beacon at the bus stop with a display on the bus connected to an app on the user's mobile phone. This assures that riders with disabilities can safely utilize fixed-route public transportation. 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.