Elevator app lowers barriers in Vienna subway stations
Elevators in Vienna's public transportation system are slow. But the doors close quickly. There is now an app for passengers with disabilities or baby carriages
People in a Vienna subway station
(Image: Daniel AJ Sokolov)
Elevators in Vienna's subway stations are to become less stressful for passengers with disabilities or baby carriages. To this end, Wiener Linien is installing control modules from the German company Schaefer in its elevators, which communicate with standard smartphones via Bluetooth. With an app called Liftboy, passengers can call the elevator from a distance of ten to fifteen meters, which shortens waiting times.
It is also possible to use the app to trigger an alarm and influence the automatic door control. According to Wiener Linien, the door opening and closing time of the respective elevator can be extended from three to up to twelve seconds. All 291 elevators in 109 Wiener Linien station buildings will be upgraded over the course of the year. heise online asked the Austrian Federal Railways (Ă–BB) on Tuesday afternoon whether they would be jumping on the bandwagon and upgrading the elevators in their stations too.
Voice output informs about malfunctions
The app can be installed free of charge by anyone on Android phones (from Android 9) and iPhones (from iOS 14). An Internet connection is not required to use the app, but Bluetooth must of course be activated. Wiener Linien hopes that only those who need the new service will use it.
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The elevators in Vienna's subway stations already have Braille buttons and also provide information via voice output, for example about which floor the elevator car has just reached. In future, the voice output will also provide information about any lift malfunctions. Anyone who calls an elevator that is out of order but cannot see that it is not working should no longer have to stand on their feet, but be informed acoustically.
Incidentally, the Viennese have no end of fun with the name "Liftboy"; however, manufacturer Schaefer has opted for a uniform name as it wants to sell its product for as many elevator systems as possible. The uniform name makes it clear that one and the same app is intended for all compatible elevators.
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