Case study · Roermond · Netherlands
Busstation Roermond — NaviLens's first primeur in the Netherlands.
Following the major refurbishment of the hub, the city of Roermond and Arriva installed NaviLens codes on every bay of the bus station in autumn 2020. The system —already proven in the New York and Barcelona subways— makes its first appearance in Dutch public transit.
Oct 2020
Pilot — first NaviLens deployment in the Netherlands
Primeur
National first according to the city of Roermond
Halte A–H
Codes at every bus station bay
42
Languages read aloud
The client
City of Roermond
Arriva (DB)
The Roermond bus station, next to the NS train station, is the main transit node of Mid-Limburg: terminus of Arriva's regional lines to Venlo, Heerlen and the Designer Outlet, and a direct connection to the Dutch rail network.
After a deep refurbishment —widened bays, new waiting area and bicycle parking— it reopens in August 2020. The city goes one step further: it brings NaviLens, already running in the Barcelona and New York subways, to Roermond. The pilot starts in October 2020 and makes Roermond the first NaviLens deployment in Dutch public transport.
§ The solution
A code at every bay, next to the guide line.
NaviLens codes are placed on the poles of every halte (A, B, C… to H), on the access bollards from the guide line and next to the Vertrek departure boards. They are scanned from a distance, without aiming, even in poor light.
When the code is detected, the NaviLens GO app reads the halt's information aloud: line, destination, next departure and how to navigate the bay. It works naast de standaard geleidelijn —next to the standard tactile line— without replacing it.
§ Walkthrough
From the guide line to your seat, without asking for help.
Halte G · Lines 66 and 377
Code on every bay's pole
Every bay carries a code at traveller height, next to the Arriva sign. It announces the bay letter, lines (66 to Venlo via Reuver, 377 via Kessel…) and the next departure.
Access · Entry bollard
Beacon at the guide-line crossing
The bollards giving access to the perron carry a code: while following the geleidelijn, the traveller hears which bay lies ahead and how to orient towards the right halt.
Waiting area · Vertrek panel
The departure panel, read aloud
Next to the next-departures display and Arriva's printed timetables (RS11 Venlo–Venray–Nijmegen), the code turns visual information into spoken information in 42 languages.
Pedestrian access · Centrum / Designer Outlet
Connection with NS and the city
On the pedestrian accesses towards the NS station, downtown Roermond and the Designer Outlet, the codes extend wayfinding beyond the bus station and link with the rail network.
§ What they said
“We willen dat in Roermond iedereen volop kan meedoen en dat geldt uiteraard ook voor blinden en slechtzienden.”
“Mobiliteit is daarbij een belangrijk aandachtspunt en toen we hoorden dat dit systeem in de metro van Barcelona en New York City goed werkt, besloten we het naar Roermond te halen.”
“Volgens de gemeente Roermond is de app Navilens, die al jaren in New York en Barcelona draait, uniek in Nederland.”
§ Press coverage
§ 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.
