GoMedia, a London-based company developing consumer facing digital solutions for transport operators, is working to make public transport more accessible for visually impaired passengers through 5G-enabled technology.

Collaborating with West Midlands 5G, funded by West Midlands Combined Authority, and the government department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, GoMedia first demonstrated its accessibility solution on West Midlands Metro Tram 35 - the UK’s first 5G-enabled tram – in 2021.

Now news of the project has travelled six thousand miles across the globe to the National Science and Technology Museum in Taiwan.

Two million people living with visual impairments in the UK are unable to complete at least part of their journeys on public transport independently. The project’s solution, developed in collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), provides timely and accurate information to passengers who need additional assistance when travelling on the UK public transport network, either in the station or on the vehicle.

Passengers simply hold up their smartphone. The device automatically recognises any NaviLens BIDI codes in view and connects to GoMedia’s live cloud-based passenger information system over cellular networks or the onboard Icomera Passenger Wi-Fi to retrieve the desired information.

The reduced latency of 5G increases the speed of data delivery to personal devices, improving current location tools. The increased capacity of the 5G-enabled onboard Wi-Fi also allows passengers to stream more content-rich augmented reality (AR) location-based videos while traveling on the moving vehicle.