Many people with sight loss find it difficult to identify unoccupied seats which makes travel on busses and trains more difficult
Moving through a potentially crowded train carriage or bus and finding an unoccupied seat can be present huge problems for people with sight loss to the extent that some will not even attempt to sit down unless they are on a very long journey. Sometimes having assistance does not always fix the problem as the assistance may not bring the person to the most appropriate seat (which is usually not the ‘Disabled’ seat).
Implications:
Difficulty finding a seat is a significant barrier to people with sight loss using public transport independently.
Opportunities:
The use of low-cost load or proximity sensing, or image recognition systems combined with wireless communication technology could allow people with sight loss to locate empty seats using their digital devices.