Case study · New Brunswick, NJ · 2023
NJ TRANSIT — the first bus network in New Jersey
that reads itself out loud.
In November 2023, NJ TRANSIT launched in New Brunswick the first NaviLens pilot on its bus network: 51 stops with codes scannable from up to 60 feet away, in 42 languages.
51
Pilot stops in New Brunswick
60 ft
Long-range code detection
33
Voice/text languages
~16k
NJ TRANSIT stops in the rollout horizon
The client
NJ TRANSIT
Bus · New Brunswick
NJ TRANSIT is New Jersey's public transit agency and the third largest in the country, with around 16,000 bus stops across the state.
The pilot focuses on New Brunswick, a dense college town that brings together Rutgers, Saint Peter's University Hospital and a multicultural commercial fabric. The 51 equipped stops cover its main corridors: Burnet, Easton, George, George's Road, Huntington, Livingston, Remsen, Route 18, Sandford and Somerset.
§ The challenge
So catching the bus in NJ doesn't depend on reading a pole.
- 01
A huge bus network, hard to read
NJ TRANSIT operates around 16,000 bus stops statewide. Its shelters and poles mix routes, stop numbers and ads — a layer that's hard to decipher for blind or low-vision riders.
- 02
Real-time info, only on screen
Next arrivals, detours and alerts existed in mybus, the web and the app, but required reading the stop number and typing it in. Without sight, the first step — knowing where you are — was already a barrier.
- 03
A multilingual college town
New Brunswick brings together Rutgers, Saint Peter's University Hospital and a large Spanish-speaking and international student population. English-only signage left out a big chunk of the real ridership.
§ The solution
A code under every mybus, read from 60 feet.
Every pilot pole carries a NaviLens code right under the mybus sign and stop number. The app detects it from 60 feet away, on the move and without needing to aim.
The rider hears in their language the stop name and number, the routes that stop there, real-time next arrivals and service alerts — without typing anything into mybus or the app.
§ Rollout
From Rutgers to Saint Peter's, stop by stop.
§ Timeline
From a local pilot to a statewide network.
- Nov 2023
Official pilot launch
On November 8, 2023, NJ TRANSIT announces the NaviLens pilot in New Brunswick. It's the first NaviLens deployment on a New Jersey bus network, inside NJ TRANSIT's Innovation program.
- 51 stops
Corridors covered
NaviLens codes on stops along Burnet St, Easton Ave, George St, George's Rd, Huntington St, Livingston Ave, Remsen Ave, Route 18, Sandford St and Somerset St — the corridors that stitch downtown, Rutgers and Saint Peter's together.
- App
Two apps, two profiles
The NaviLens app reads codes aloud for blind or low-vision users. NaviLens GO adds text and AR for everyone else, downloadable from the QR on the sign itself.
- Today
Toward NJ TRANSIT app integration and more stops
When the pilot ends, NJ TRANSIT will evaluate results, explore integrating NaviLens features into its official app, and expand the program to more of its ~16,000 stops statewide.
§ What they said
What NJ TRANSIT and the press said.
“We're pleased to pilot NaviLens in New Brunswick where thousands of NJ TRANSIT bus customers will have an opportunity to use this exciting new technology to enhance their travel experience.”
“New Jersey Transit has launched a pilot program for the NaviLens technology in New Brunswick. The program uses special multi-coloured QR-style codes that can be scanned from up to 60 feet away to provide real-time bus arrival information.”
“NaviLens es la nueva forma de navegar NJ TRANSIT: códigos escaneables desde hasta 60 pies con próximas llegadas, alertas y direcciones, traducidas a 33 idiomas.”
§ Results
An information layer you don't see, but do hear.
1st
NaviLens deployment on a New Jersey bus network
100%
of the 51 pilot stops with voice-accessible next arrivals
42 languages
Bus info available in the rider's language
"A bus network is truly public when anyone — blind, elderly or newly arrived to the country — can reach the stop and know, unaided, which bus is about to pass."
§ 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.
