BART launches pilot of Aira video interpreter service to help blind and low vision riders navigate the system

Aira Explorer App banner with a screenshot of a phone in the app, icons for the App store and Google Play store, and the text "visual interpreting at the tap of a button for the blind and low vision community."

New smartphone app connects riders with live visual interpreters, free of charge, from October 6 through January 3 

BART is launching a pilot program to test Aira, a video interpreter service designed to help blind and low vision customers navigate to, from, and through the BART system. The pilot begins Tuesday, October 6, and runs through Sunday, January 3. 

Aira connects users with live, professionally trained visual interpreters through a video call on a free smartphone app called Aira Explorer. Using the camera on a rider's phone, interpreters can describe surroundings, read signs and text, and help with tasks such as finding a station entrance, locating fare gates and ticket vending machines, identifying the correct platform, and boarding the right train. 

"Blind and low vision riders have told us that navigating to and through our stations can be a real challenge, especially finding fare gates and other key features," said Ryan Greene-Roesel, Director of BART Customer Access and Accessibility. "This pilot gives us a chance to test whether a live, on-demand interpreter can make those everyday trips easier." 

How the pilot works 

Aira interpreters will receive basic training on the BART system and will have access to BART's website and mobile app to help answer rider questions. Normally, Aira charges users by the minute, but during the pilot period, the cost of any call related to a BART trip — from a rider's front door all the way to their destination – will be covered. Riders do not need to be inside a BART station to use the service, and it can be used anywhere in the BART system. 

To get started:  

  1. Download the free Aira Explorer app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. 
  2. Open the app and create an account.  You will need to give the App permission to use your phone camera, microphone, and GPS location so the interpreter can assist you.   
  3. In the app, on the home screen, tap Browse Access Offers, and then in the search bar at the top of the next screen, type in BART. The offer is then applied to your next call.   
  4. When you’re ready to place the call, open the app and tap “Call an AIRA agent” to connect. You will reach a live visual interpreter in ten to fifteen seconds. 
  5. Let the interpreter know you are making a BART-related trip, point your camera at what you need information on, and the visual interpreter will assist you.   

The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the pilot. Aira works best where a cell signal or Wi-Fi connection is available.  BART riders can access free Wi-Fi at SFO, West Oakland, 16th St./Mission, 24th St./Mission, Glen Park, Balboa Park, Embarcadero, Civic Center, and Powell St. stations, with more stations coming soon. 

Feedback and evaluation 

Throughout the pilot, BART will gather feedback from users and review usage data to evaluate how riders are using the service, what they find most helpful, and whether BART should seek funding to offer this type of service in the future.   

Support  

For questions or comments about the pilot project overall, contact BART Customer  Services.   

For support with the Aira app, reach Aira support any time from the Aira Explorer menu, email [email protected] or call Aira Customer Care at 1-800-834-1935.  

This pilot is funded with a grant from the Federal Transit Administration.