BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is expanding the availability of an app designed to provide assistance for the visually impaired.
The NFTA has been offering free use of the AIRA app at the Buffalo and Niagara Falls airports and is now expanding it for metro bus and rail customers.
"It's something that we're very proud of because we want to be more inclusive," said Kelly Khatib, communications manager for the NFTA. "Public transportation is for the public, so it shouldn't be something that everyone can use."
The app allows users to connect with an agent, similar to a FaceTime call, who sees your surroundings through your camera. The agent then describes the area around you and guides you to where you are going.
"It has been around for quite some time, it's in over 40 different airports," Khatib said. "We're very excited to be partnering with them and very excited that this is just another service that we can add for the entire public to be able to use."
Margo Downey is a user of the AIRA app and also assists the NFTA with ADA-compliant training for bus drivers. She is also visually impaired and uses a guide dog.
"It can be very helpful," Downey said. "Maybe the traffic sounds are too loud, and you can't maybe hear the announcement, ARIA can help you with that and can tell you that that's what that bus is."
ARIA does cost if you're using the service elsewhere. However, if you're using it as part of the NFTA system it is free.