Getting Around with Tech – Using Public Transport

Learning to travel independently is a vital part of growing up, particularly during your years in education. If you’re blind or partially sighted, this might take a bit of extra thought and planning. But with the right support and smart use of technology, it is totally achievable.

Getting around on your own can be a real game-changer. It boosts your confidence, gives you more control over your day and lets you take full advantage of all the things life has to offer — whether that’s getting to college/uni, meeting up with friends, or just heading out for some fun.

If you’re thinking about using public transport on your own, perhaps for the first time, or you’re transitioning to a new college or university which involves some new routes or modes of transport, you may have concerns, such as how to do it. You might be thinking how you would manage at a bus stop when you can’t see the screen or knowing which stop is yours. Maybe you are worried about how to navigate your way around a train station, find the right platform, or what happens when you reach your destination. These are all really normal questions. But don’t worry, you may be surprised by just how accessible public transport can be when you have the right knowledge and tools!

This guide will walk you through our favourite top tips for how you can use tech to get around on public transport and take your independence game to the next level.

Heads up! learn the basics and stay safe

Tech can take you far, but it’s your independence skills that truly open up the world. Make sure you’ve had proper mobility training first—these skills help you stay safe and make the most of everything apps can offer. Your local authority’s sensory support team can help you get started if you’re not there yet.

If you need to learn these important skills, reach out to your local authority’s sensory or visual impairment team and ask specifically for mobility training, Orientation & Mobility (O&M) or habilitation services.

Stay safe!

While giving these transport apps a try, please remember to keep safe, be aware of your surroundings and be mindful of obstacles and potential hazards. At first try them out with friends, family or those supporting you or let someone know where you are going.

Using the Right Support Can be a Game-changer

Before we get into the awesome tech, it is really important to realise that there is a ton of support available when it comes to using public transport as a blind or partially sighted person.

For example, for train journeys, there is a service offered by National Rail called Passenger Assist which can make life a lot easier and accessible. When you arrive at the station, a member of staff will escort you to your train and take you to your seat. You will then be met at your destination station or interchanging station (if your journey has changes) by another member of staff who will guide you to your next train, the station exit, or into a taxi. From the beginning of your journey to the end, all relevant staff, including those on the train(s) you will be travelling on, will know you are travelling and what your needs are. You can use the Passenger Assistance app to book this support in advance, we’ll cover this later in the guide.

Similar services exist around the UK on other travel networks, such as on the London Underground and Overground train networks.

Top tip: the staff will take you where you need to go

Meeting your friends at the ticket barriers, a landmark in the station or outside the station? You can tell the member of staff assisting you where you need to be and they’ll help you get there. So don’t miss out on that big day out or social gathering!

If you are catching a bus or tram, the driver or on-board staff should help you to access the service, such as helping you to check you are going the right way, finding a seat and when to get off.

The key takeaway here is, these services can be a game-changer for supporting you to get around on public transport independently, so give them a try!

Top tip: keep an ear out for useful announcements

Many trains and buses have automatic announcements over the public address system to tell you what stop you are at/what stop is next. This can be super helpful in keeping track of where you are and when to get off.

Getting the Bus or Train

When travelling on public transport, it is vital to plan ahead and have an idea of where you need to get to and how long it might take. You might want to speed up the journey by buying tickets or booking passenger assistance in advance. Below are some of our favourite accessible apps which make all of this possible.

Moovit – free on iOS and Android

If you’re planning on using your local bus service, Moovit is a must have app, whether you need to get a bus to classes, or meet friends in town.

It can locate your nearest bus stop/station and show you live departures, as well as allowing you to add favourite stops, favourite lines, regularly used addresses such as home, college or a friend’s house, and offers a comprehensive journey planner.

The app will quickly remember your regular journeys, so the more you use it, the quicker and more useful it will become. You can use it to purchase tickets UK wide and even major cities across Europe.

If you’re planning on meeting friends at a local cinema for example, you can use the journey planner for door-to-door directions, not just for the bit you travel by bus.

For a journey involving a combination of public transport and walking, Moovit comes out on top. Google Maps came out as our top turn by turn navigation app. But when in the public transport mode, it does not offer turn by turn directions on the sections which need to be walked. However, Moovit  does offer every part of the journey in detail, from directions to the first bus stop, to how many stops to ride, and turn by turn directions from your destination bus stop to your final destination. This makes it a hugely useful tool to have in your pocket!

Top tip: MoveIt is best for busses

While the Moovit app boasts its ability to cover multiple modes of transport, it’s only our top recommendation for buses on the live departures side, simply because the interface lends itself best to this. You can find lines such as train services, tubes, and trams, but the bus info is the easiest and most accessible to follow.

Moovit is free to download on both IOS and Android. You can subscribe to remove ads and get customised alerts, but the subscription fee is low, and the app is absolutely still worth having without it.

Top tip: check out our Navigation page

Have you seen our page all about navigation apps? Sometimes the most accessible solution when out and about is a combination of more than one app, so give this page a look as well!

TrainPal – free on iOS, Android, and the web

Going on a longer journey on your own or with friends? TrainPal is our top recommendation for planning and booking cheap tickets for train journeys. It’s free to download or access via their website, and you can use it simply for checking the best route, times, or buying discounted tickets in advance. Don’t forget to use your railcard for even more discounts for you and friends if you book together!

It’s simple and accessible to use, and widely known as even cheaper than Trainline, making it our must have for train travel. TrainPal is available on IOS, Android and The web.

Top tip: get your money’s worth

There are discounts and even freebees available for blind and partially sighted people on public transport. These include the Freedom Pass for free travel on all forms of public transport in London (if you live in the city), or he Disabled Person’s Railcard which gives blind and partially sighted people a third off trains anywhere in the UK. And definitely don’t forget to order a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass from your local authority, giving you free bus travel across the whole of England.

UK Live Train Times – free on iOS

We couldn’t list our favourite public transport apps without giving UK Live Train Times a mention. Just as Moovit tops our list for live bus times, this one gets top pick for live train times. The journey planner is accessible and intuitive to use, but the highlight really is the live information. Think of it as a live departure board in your pocket, but it’s more than that.

You can pick a station, choose whether to view departures or arrivals, and even filter by another station, so if you were looking at London Kings Cross departures, many trains go from here. So if all you need to know is the next train to York, you can use the filter to add York, and see a list of the next trains there and which platform they’re going from.

You can add as many stations as you like to your favourites, as well as saving regular journeys. Want to know when your next train home is? No problem, use the “Next Train Home” function by setting your home station and set alerts for a particular train. It can even tell you which platform you need, which is a gamechanger for longer journeys, or if you need to change station somewhere. If you’re a regular on the rails and you have an iPhone, this one is a must have!

Train Track – free on Android

The equivalent live train times/departures app for Android is Train Track. Offering very similar functions to UK Train Times, you can search for a station, add an optional destination to see trains travelling there, activate alerts, add favourites, and see platform information and number of coaches for each train. This is the must-have app for rail travelling Android users!

Passenger Assistance app – free on iOS, Android, and the web

So, you’ve planned your journey and got your tickets, now it is time to book your passenger assistance!

As we mentioned earlier, the Passenger Assist service can play a key role in empowering you to travel independently.

Rail staff are trained in sighted guiding and are ready to support you with your journey, but it helps if they know you’re coming. That’s where the Passenger Assistance app and website comes in.

Designed with accessibility in mind, you can get the app on your device of choice, or use the website to first create your profile, which will inform staff all about your particular access needs, then you’ll be ready to book your assistance.

Booking assistance is very much like the journey planner on the apps above, except you’re not buying tickets, you’re simply choosing your route. Once you’ve followed the instructions and selected your journey, the app will notify the relevant stations that you are traveling. You’ll receive emails and notifications letting you know your assistance has been confirmed, so you can feel reassured that you’re expected, and the staff will be ready for you.

Whether you require sighted guiding, help changing trains, ramp access, space for a guide dog or anything else, you can specify all of this as you book your assistance, making this an essential app for train travel! The Passenger Assistance app is available on IOS, Android and The web.

Top tip: this app is for national rail only

If you’re journey also involves services other than National Rail, such as the London underground, the National Rail staff will make sure you are handed over to the relevant staff on the other service who will then assist you with support on the rest of your journey.

Don’t Forget the Good Old-fashioned Taxi

While the above modes of transport offer lower cost or even free solutions for getting around, public transport may not always be suitable. If you’re not confident to find your way, or maybe it’s late at night, a taxi can sometimes be the best option.

Top tip: have a good taxi company’s number in your phone

It’s always a good idea to look up a local taxi number for wherever you’re planning to be before you travel, so you have it at the ready if you need it. We recommend checking out their website and reviews to make sure they come with a good reputation before you use them. Some train stations may have a taxi rank, but not all do, so its best to have a number in your pocket.

There’s always Uber

We’ve all heard of Uber, the biggest internationally available taxi app. The app is free to download on IOS and Android and is fully accessible and easy to use. It offers some good safety features such as the ability to share your journey and location with someone else, so they’ll know you’ve arrived safely, as well as showing your drivers name and description and registration number of the car. You can specify when you book that you need an accessible vehicle or a driver willing to provide a little more assistance. And if you’re not exactly sure of where you are, you can let the app use your current location, so it’s a good app to have at the ready in case you’re a little lost or disorientated.

Uber is mostly available in major cities. You can download the app and see if it is available in your area. If it’s not, stick to the trusted local firms.

Top tip: don’t let travel stop you going where you really want to

We want you to pick your college/university based on its merits or reputation for your chosen subjects, so where it is or whether you need to travel to get there should never be the deciding factors.

Get in Touch!

We’d love to hear from you. Found any of our recommendations useful? Have we missed something which you use, and others should know about? Head over to our Instagram, BlueSky or Facebook to let us know!