Transport for NSW puts out the call for high-tech transport ideas
Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) is encouraging ‘tech-savvy’ creatives to come up with new ways to use Bluetooth beacons which already operate at Chatswood station.
As part of the Future Transport initiative, the Beacon Innovation Challenge sets out to find ways to make catching public transport easier for commuters.
The beacons which are already set-up at Chatswood are currently being used to help vision-impaired travellers catch public transport more easily.
Deputy secretary of customer service Tony Braxton-Smith says the program aims to highlight what is possible with the already well established technology.
“Bluetooth beacons are small devices with big potential because they can be used in so many different ways,” Braxton-Smith says.
“The trial now underway at Chatswood Station and bus interchange uses the beacons to help customers with vision impairments navigate between trains, buses and places of interest in and adjacent to the interchange by sending location signals to a mobile phone which then gives the customer audio cues.
“Other potential uses include providing customers with information about the next train services, local attractions or how to find your way from your train to your bus.
“We’re keen to see how far this technology can go.”
The winning submissions will be allowed to access the network in mid-October through to mid-November as a trial.
If the trial succeeds, the developers will be invited to showcase the concept to TfNSW leaders.