Moovit partners with Microsoft, Aira to better serve people with disabilities

Public transit planning app Moovit is partnering with Microsoft and Aira to further expand its ability to help people with disabilities.

Aira, which connects blind and low-vision users with trained agents who provide visual information on demand, will now be able to leverage Microsoft’s Azure Maps along with mobility and navigation information from Moovit. Aira agents will now be able to provide users with real-time urban mobility information and guidance to help them get to their destination.

For example, Aira agents can now view and obtain information on multimodal trip planning, transit routes and itineraries, which should help them deliver great user experiences.

The tools are accessible thanks to Moovit’s Transit APIs, which are offered via Azure Maps.

This follows Moovit’s recent work to make its app more accessible. Accessibility changes include optimizing its app with screen reading features such as TalkBack and VoiceOver, being able to identify wheelchair accessible routes and stations and redesigned menus with accessible buttons for people with hand-motor disabilities.

Aira provides full service in Canada, the U.S., New Zealand and Australia.

Moovit is available on the Play Store and App Store for free, and Aira is also available Android and iOS for free.