Case study · Bordeaux · France
TBM Bordeaux Métropole —
1,535 bus shelters that introduce themselves.
Bordeaux Métropole and Cityz Média (formerly Clear Channel) have fitted more than 1,500 bus shelters across the TBM network with NaviLens codes — detectable up to 30 metres with no aiming — so that anyone, and in particular blind and low-vision riders, can find the stop, know which lines run from it and when the next bus is due, by voice, in 42 languages.
1,535
TBM bus shelters equipped across Bordeaux Métropole
30 m
Maximum detection distance, with no aiming required
42
Languages with voice readout
70 %
Of TBM stops now compliant with accessibility standards
Client
TBM · Bordeaux Métropole
Cityz Média
TBM (Transports Bordeaux Métropole) operates the bus, tram and river-shuttle network across the 28 municipalities of Bordeaux Métropole in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The bus side alone runs 80+ lines and thousands of stops across Bordeaux, Bruges, Mérignac, Pessac, Talence, Bègles or Le Haillan.
Cityz Média — formerly Clear Channel — manages the bus shelters of Bordeaux Métropole. Cityz Média is the partner who suggested bringing NaviLens to the network and who funds the roll-out, as part of its accessible street-furniture portfolio. The deployment started mid-2025 and by early 2026 already reaches 1,535 equipped shelters according to TBM.
§ The challenge
A huge bus network that anyone can use.
- 01
Find the stop without seeing it
Spotting the blue TBM stop sign, reading the stop name (Ausone, Grand Darnal, La Hutte, Bruges Centre…) and the line numbers (35, 70, 72, 75) is hard for blind, low-vision or older riders. Traditional signage forces the user to walk right up to the panel.
- 02
Know which bus stops here and when
Each shelter packs lines, destinations, network maps, timetables and notices behind glass. Without an accessible readout the rider has to ask or to open the journey-planner app already knowing the exact stop ID.
- 03
One language across 28 municipalities
Bordeaux Métropole wanted a single accessible-information standard for the whole metropolitan area — central Bordeaux, Bruges, Mérignac, Pessac… — so riders don't face a different system in every town or every operator.
§ The solution
A 25 × 25 cm NaviLens code
on every shelter, on up to 3 sides.
Every TBM shelter carries a 25 × 25 cm NaviLens code placed «on 3 sides when possible» — front, side and indoor «Bus info / NaviLens Accessible Code» panel — so the rider can detect it from the kerb, from the opposite side of the street or already inside the shelter. Detection works up to 30 metres, with no aiming.
With the free NaviLens app (no signup), the phone announces by voice the stop name, the walking guidance to reach it, the lines that stop there and the next bus times, in 42 languages. Information is also delivered as text and accessible formats, helpful for low-vision riders, older people and international visitors.
§ Gallery
The roll-out, stop by stop.
§ Timeline
From a pilot to the whole TBM network.
- Mid 2025
Cityz Média brings NaviLens to Bordeaux Métropole
Cityz Média — the long-standing shelter operator (formerly Clear Channel) — suggests integrating NaviLens into the TBM shelters and commits to funding the roll-out as part of its accessible street-furniture line.
- 2025
Progressive deployment across the 28 municipalities
Shelters across central Bordeaux, Bruges, Mérignac, Pessac, Talence and Le Haillan get a 25 × 25 cm NaviLens code on up to three sides (front, side and indoor «Bus info / NaviLens Accessible Code» panel).
- Jan 2026
1,535 shelters equipped — launch at Mériadeck
TBM and Bordeaux Métropole officially launch the roll-out at the Mériadeck library stop. According to Renaud Lorillard (TBM offer & technical performance), every stop with a shelter is now equipped (L'Essentiel and Sud Ouest, Jan 2026).
§ What they said
Voices from the operator and the metropolis.
“Un QR code coloré de 25 cm par 25 cm est positionné sur l'abri-voyageur « sur ses 3 faces quand c'est possible ». La technologie permet de détecter le QR code jusqu'à 30 mètres. Des informations sont alors transmises depuis l'application par une annonce vocale sur le nom et la localisation de l'arrêt, sur le cheminement jusqu'à celui-ci et sur l'horaire de passage du bus.”
“C'est Cityz Média, le gestionnaire des abris-voyageurs, qui a suggéré cette solution. Ce partenaire, anciennement connu sous le nom de Clear Channel, est aussi le financeur de son déploiement. Le dispositif s'inscrit dans un plan d'accessibilité sur le réseau TBM : 70 % des arrêts sont désormais conformes aux normes d'accessibilité.”
§ Outcomes
A TBM shelter that anyone can use.
1,500+
TBM shelters equipped with NaviLens — every sheltered stop in the metropolis
30 m / 42 languages
Aim-free detection and multilingual voice readout — also useful for international riders
€0 to the user
Free app, no signup — roll-out funded by Cityz Média
§ And your network?
Your next station can also speak.
Tell us about your network, your pain points and the KPIs you want to move. We’ll show you how NaviLens would fit —with comparable cases.
