On-Bus Announcements test run on 20 buses in Wellington
[MP4, 907 KB]
Screenshot of visual screen display on buses
Working towards fully accessible journeys
Primarily, the on-bus announcement system makes public transport easier and safer for riders with disabilities and impairments. It also benefits people who are unfamiliar with public transport, anyone catching a route they don’t normally use, and visitors to the region.
The system will announce all stops during both off-peak and peak commuter times, because riders that benefit from this system travel during all times of the day.
All stops are announced because passengers who rely on this information to travel independently could use any stop on the network, not just the major stops.
The volume levels have been thoroughly tested with members of the disability community and bus drivers to determine appropriate volume ranges. To ensure consistent and clear announcements for those who need it most, drivers can't change the volume or turn the system off.
Variations in volume for different vehicle types and times of day will be adjusted during the test period. We welcome your feedback.
The system uses a high-quality text-to-speech software to create natural sounding announcements. They are not audio recordings. Te reo place names have been programmed into the system by a third party expert in te reo Māori (pronounciation). Other Metlink data publishing systems don't yet include macrons for the stop & route names that appear on these screens, but we're working on it.
If you hear any words that you feel are not pronounced correctly, please fill out the feedback form so we can get them corrected.
Screen graphics are designed to meet accessibility requirements for colour contrast and clarity. The appearance of text size depends on how close someone is to the screen. We've aimed for a balance between the amount of information and the text size within a limited screen area.
Points of interest for stops are based on community services, historic landmarks, public venues and local attractions. If you have a suggestion for a point of interest, you can add it to the feedback form.
Why are there only a few buses with this?
We are currently testing on a small number of buses, and will roll out to the rest of the network over about a year.
Which bus routes is it running on during the test?
Buses run several different routes in a day, so you could see this on any route in the Wellington City area during the test.
What’s it for and who needs it?
Primarily, it makes public transport easier and safer for riders with disabilities and impairments. It also benefits people who are unfamiliar with public transport, anyone catching a route they don’t normally use, and visitors to the region.
Can drivers change the volume or turn it off?
The driver has no control over the system. The volume has been set so that passengers can hear the announcements clearly, but not so loud that it’s distracting to drivers. We’ll be adjusting the volume on different vehicle types and sizes during the testing period. Your feedback is always welcome.
I’ve got a suggestion for a location/attraction to say at a stop.
You can submit suggestions using the On Bus Announcements feedback form.
Why did it take so long? Why didn’t you just turn the screens on when you got the new buses?
The buses didn’t have media players on board or a system to play announcements – they only had the screens. We had to design, build and test the system to create the announcements - plus connect it to the bus audio system and GPS. The project was tested as a prototype in 2019, and was later delayed by COVID.
This is not a trial or a pilot.
We're running final testing of the system on a small number of buses in Wellington City for a few weeks. After the test, we'll make any necessary changes. Then, we'll roll out the system to the rest of the region over the next 12 months.
Your feedback will help us to make future improvements to the system.
The system will be installed on every bus on the network, and will announce every bus stop on every trip. This will enable all users of public transport, including those with disabilities and impairments, to travel more independently with confidence and dignity. These systems are common in major cities and overseas.
Wellington Access Radio show features On-bus announcements
Hear more about the work of Somar Digital the developers, and Metlink and get a sneak peek as to what the announcements will sound like.