If you do not have any forms of reduced mobility, walking in the street doesn’t seem such an effort to you. However, for many people with wheelchairs, crutches, or other forms of mobility impairment, this can be a challenge.
Construction sites, uneven road surfaces, and other obstacles can make a specific journey complicated.
This is the reason why Brest Métropole is introducing and testing a new mobility assistance feature for people with reduced mobility in the Bibus App’s Route Finder, the main application from the public transport operator.
Activatable in just a few clicks, this new feature allows anyone with mobility difficulties to identify potential obstacles along their route.
This option is particularly beneficial for wheelchair users, individuals with walking difficulties, and even families traveling with a stroller, for example.
The feature is powered by obstacles reported by a community of users through the StreetCo reporting app, a partner of Bibus and Brest Métropole for this project. StreetCo has developed a community in Brest consisting of public space users who actively report obstacles such as potholes, tree branches, construction signs, trash bins, or bikes obstructing the sidewalk.
In addition to the community, some people have been contracted to report obstacles on a constant basis.
You can find more information about the pilot in the latest interview of the project manager here: https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/small/news/mapping-accessible-itineraries-with-streetco-in-brest