People with visual impairments will soon be able to board TTC buses without having to ask the driver which bus they are boarding.

The TTC has started to deploy a new system that will feature a speaker outside the bus doors announcing the route name and number.

Riders on Bayview Avenue and Bathurst Street buses will be the first to experience the TTC’s External Route Announcement  trial on the #8200, #8300, #8350 and #9050 buses on the 11 Bayview and 7 Bathurst routes.

Talking TTC vehicles are not new in Toronto. All subways on the Yonge-University line announce stops, and the TTC’s new accessible streetcars also provide external announcements. But this pilot project involves Toronto’s buses for the first time.

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requires that all transit agencies in the province are equipped with electronic systems that offer pre-boarding announcements to riders by 2017.

Customers are encouraged to submit their feedback via ttc.ca or by calling the TTC Customer Service Line at 416-393-3030.