Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.02.2019, Page 56

L IF E , T R AV EL & EN T ER TA INMEN T IN ICEL A ND
Issue 02 × 2019
Feb 1st—Feb 28th
www.grapevine.is
LAST WORDS
Bussing Blind
Words: Kolbeinn Arnaldur Dalrymple
Strætó, Reykjavík’s oft-maligned bus compa-
ny, has improved its service over the past few
years. Buses run later, more frequently, and
are on-time more often. The late-night week-
end service has made partying much easier
(and cheaper) for us suburbanites. This has
happened despite the Independence Party’s
instinctual aversion to any sort of collective
action. This steady string of improvements
and a rather flattering picture of myself on
their social media has not made my com-
mute less stressful. It is anxiety-inducing, as
the system does not accommodate the blind
and visually impaired.
The biggest problem is figuring out which
bus is which. At stops with many lines there
is no way to identify the right vehicle. If I
am alone at a stop, which I often am in this
sprawling car-crazy city, I must ask every
driver which number their bus is. This
means flagging down half a dozen buses
and delaying scores of fellow riders. Thank-
fully fellow passengers are willing to help
or at least try. One time, while waiting at a
particularly busy stop, I asked the woman
next to me which bus it was in Icelandic. She
was on holiday from North America, so I re-
peated in English only to get the reply: “The
yellow one”. This vague answer made me
laugh because all of Strætó’s buses are yel-
low. I missed my particular yellow bus that
day. Most missed buses aren’t as amusing.
Fortunately, solutions are available and
some are fairly simple and inexpensive. Most
buses have audio announcements of stops,
transfer points, and reminders to take your
personal belongings. However, this system
is often turned off or turned down. This can
make finding the right stop difficult and
stressful. Ensuring the system is reliable is
a simple first step.
It would not help in identifying the cor-
rect bus to begin with, but there are oth-
er options there. Buses in one US city are
equipped with speakers on the outside of
the bus that would announce the number
and direction; this would be quite helpful
when multiple buses stop at the same time.
In Norway, bus stops have live screens that
have an optional audio function. Reykjavík is
updating its bus shelters this year and could
take this opportunity to include us.
Visually impaired people are similarly
out of luck when it comes to Strætó’s mobile
app since it does not support screen readers.
Hopefully a future update can rectify that.
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