Case study · Wolverhampton (UK)
Wolverhampton joins New York and Barcelona.
On 5 April 2023, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) launched a six-month pilot at Wolverhampton Bus Station with Journeo, RNIB and NaviLens. The station became one of the most accessible transport hubs in the UK.
5 Apr 2023
Pilot launch at Wolverhampton Bus Station
6 months
Initial trial led by TfWM (WMCA)
Stands A–F
Platforms, columns, floor and entrances coded
TfWM · Journeo · RNIB
NaviLens GO deployment partners
The client
Transport for West Midlands
WMCA · Journeo · RNIB
Wolverhampton Bus Station, in the heart of the city, is one of the main hubs in the network operated by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority. It links NX Bus West Midlands urban services with National Express long-distance routes and connects to the adjacent rail station and the West Midlands Metro.
The NaviLens rollout is delivered together with Journeo —passenger information display (PIDS) provider for the TfWM network— and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), which contributes user validation and accessible communications.
With this pilot, Wolverhampton becomes the UK benchmark for accessibility in public transport, alongside international rollouts such as the New York Subway (MTA) and the TMB network in Barcelona.
§ The challenge
Turning an intermodal hub into an audible station.
- 01
A glass-and-steel building hard to read without sight
Wolverhampton Bus Station is a linear canopy with stands A–F, glass walls, glossy floors and high ambient noise. For a blind or partially sighted person, identifying the right stand and the next departure without human assistance is almost impossible.
- 02
Information that changes every minute
National Express, NX Bus West Midlands and regional operators constantly change stands and timetables. Dynamic PIDS information must be delivered straight to the phone, in the user's language, with no need to focus the camera.
- 03
Validating a standard for the whole TfWM network
The pilot had to act as a reference for extending NaviLens across the rest of the Transport for West Midlands network —metro, urban stops, intermodal hubs— in line with international rollouts such as the New York Subway and TMB in Barcelona.
§ The solution
NaviLens codes on every stand, column and entrance.
TfWM and Journeo teams installed NaviLens codes on every stand (A–F): on the central columns next to the PIDS panel showing next departures, on the glazed boarding doors, on the brick walls of the perimeter aisles —beside the Emergency Help Points— and on the floor at the entrance to the Swift kiosk and automatic doors.
With the free NaviLens GO app, a blind or partially sighted person can scan without focusing from several metres away and hear out loud the stand name, the next departures (Bridgnorth via Compton, Dudley…), the operator, the accessible platforms and instructions to reach the next safe waypoint.
Integration with Journeo's PIDS system means that next-departure times update in real time, just like on the visual platform displays.
§ Stand by stand
One grammar, the whole station.
The same sign on boarding stands, perimeter aisles, columns, floors and entrances: one app —NaviLens GO— and one grammar to navigate the entire station, even at night and in the rain.
§ Why it matters
The UK standard is tested here.
UK 1st
the first British bus station to deploy NaviLens at full scale, validated by RNIB and chosen by TfWM as the reference for the rest of the West Midlands network.
NYC · BCN
Wolverhampton joins the accessible-transport league alongside the New York Subway (MTA) and TMB's network in Barcelona, according to the official WMCA and Journeo press notes.
PIDS + DDA
the NaviLens · Journeo integration delivers Passenger Information Display content straight to the passenger's phone, in line with the Equality Act 2010 and transport accessibility standards.
§ Sources
- West Midlands Combined Authority — «Wolverhampton bus station has become one of the UK's most accessible transport hubs» (5 Apr 2023).
- Journeo — «Wolverhampton Bus Station is now one of the UK's most accessible transport hubs».
- Transport for West Midlands — «Our NaviLens codes» (official accessibility guide).
- NX Bus West Midlands — «Intermodal journeys made more accessible in the West Midlands».
- Rail Forum UK — «Wolverhampton Bus Station is now one of the UK's most accessible transport hubs» (Apr 2023).
§ 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.
