Case study · Córdoba, Spain
The taxi rank that announces itself +30 m away.
How Córdoba City Council, within Córdoba Incluye and together with ONCE, brought NaviLens to the city’s 50 taxi ranks so that anyone could find the head of the rank and learn about the stop by voice.
50
Córdoba taxi ranks with NaviLens
+30 m
Detection distance at the head of the rank
Córdoba Incluye
Municipal accessibility programme
42
Languages read by voice from the sign
The client
Córdoba City Council
Córdoba Incluye
The Council’s Inclusion and Accessibility department, led by deputy mayor Bernardo Jordano, drives the Córdoba Incluye programme to make Córdoba a more accessible city. NaviLens is one of its pillars: after the good results on AUCORSA bus shelters and at the Julio Romero de Torres Museum, the system was extended to the taxi service.
The Council sets the goal of covering the 50 taxi ranks of the capital with the “Scan with NaviLens GO” sign. The rollout is carried out with ONCE in Córdoba to validate detection and voice-read texts, and is part of a wider strategy that also includes pharmacies, ATMs, opticians and municipal buildings.
Press-verified milestones: 23 Aug 2022 Diario Córdoba reports that the 50 taxi ranks will have NaviLens, with 27 already installed; 31 Mar 2022 the Council reports 4,000 accumulated NaviLens interactions in the city; the Council’s own “Accessibility improvement at Taxi ranks” file on cordoba.es.
§ The challenge
So the head of the rank identifies itself.
- 01
Finding the head of the rank without seeing it
For a blind or low-vision person, identifying where a taxi rank starts —where to stand to take the first cab— is one of the most confusing points in the urban street. The standard post is no different from the rest of the street furniture.
- 02
Knowing which rank it is and how to use it
The rank name (Avenida Aeropuerto, Ministerios, Carlos Castilla del Pino…), its exact location and the service’s extra information were only printed on the post sign, illegible at a distance or without sight.
- 03
One language for the whole city
Within the Córdoba Incluye programme, the Council wanted a single “Scan with NaviLens GO · Córdoba City Council · Córdoba Incluye” sign on every taxi rank, equivalent to the one already deployed on AUCORSA shelters, pharmacies, ATMs, opticians and municipal buildings.
§ The solution
A sign on every
post.
Every taxi rank received the “Scan with NaviLens GO · Córdoba City Council · Córdoba Incluye” sign on the post, next to the identification plaque. The NaviLens app detects it from more than +30 m, while moving and without focusing.
The user hears the rank name (Avenida Aeropuerto, Ministerios, Carlos Castilla del Pino…), its exact location at the head of the rank and the service information, also in English, French, German or Arabic. Validation was done with ONCE in Córdoba.
§ Timeline
From a single rank to the whole network.
- 2021
First pilot rank: Carlos Castilla del Pino health centre
The Council, within Córdoba Incluye and together with ONCE in Córdoba, installs the first NaviLens sign on the taxi rank of the Carlos Castilla del Pino health centre to validate distance detection and voice readout.
- 31 Mar 2022
Positive balance: the system works
Bernardo Jordano reports to the press: Córdoba’s NaviLens codes have been used some 4,000 times (1,200 at the Julio Romero de Torres Museum) and the Council decides to extend the system to more services. The app supports 42 languages and is also useful for tourists. (Today NaviLens supports 42 languages.)
- 23 Aug 2022
Announcement of the 50 accessible taxi ranks
The deputy mayor for Inclusion and Accessibility announces, at the Carlos Castilla del Pino taxi rank, that all 50 of the city’s taxi ranks will carry a NaviLens code. 27 are already installed with ONCE; on the remaining 23 small modifications are applied to ensure detection.
- Model
A single standard on the street
Every rank bears the “Scan with NaviLens GO · Córdoba City Council · Córdoba Incluye” sign. From over +30 m, while moving and without focusing, it places the user at the head of the rank and delivers the name, location and service information by voice in 42 languages.
§ On the ground
Posts and rank heads in Córdoba.
§ What they said
What the City Council said.
“Al detectar el código con el teléfono móvil, la persona con discapacidad visual o baja visión se sitúa en la cabecera de la parada de taxis, de forma que da una referencia que no tenía anteriormente. La lectura del código alcanza un radio de más de +30 m.”
“Se han colocado ya dichos códigos en 27 paradas de taxi de la mano de personas de la ONCE, que están muy contentos con el resultado, y falta adoptar alguna modificación para implantarlo en las 23 paradas restantes.”
“La implantación progresiva del Sistema NaviLens facilitará a las personas ciegas y con baja visión mejorar su autonomía en el uso de los servicios públicos al orientarse en el espacio y acceder a información útil de los recursos del entorno.”
§ Results
A taxi service anyone can use.
50
Córdoba taxi ranks signed with NaviLens
100%
Of the sign’s information (rank, location, service) read by voice
0
Visual barriers to locate the head of the rank
§ 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.
