Until OC Transpo’s new automatic stop-calling system is switched on later this year, its drivers are obligated to call out stops. And some are finding innovative ways to do it.
A Centretown News reporter riding the 9 Hurdman noticed a robotic female voice calling out stops. When asked for a demonstration, the male driver pressed a button on his iPhone. The mechanical voice said “Vanier and Coventry.”
City of Ottawa spokesperson Mouktar Abdillahi said he had no knowledge of the apparent stop-calling app.
“We have an automatic system that we’re working on, and in the meantime we’re asking drivers to call out the stops,” Abdillahi said. “We’re in a transition period. Drivers are having to call out the stops, and apparently this driver found an ingenious way to not to have to do it himself.”
The driver could not be reached for comment. OC Transpo was fined $12,500 earlier this month by federal inspectors for driver failure to call out stops during a second inspection. The first inspection, stemming from a complaint by a blind rider, resulted in the city being fined $5000.
Apple allows anyone to code and distribute their own iPhone apps after downloading a series of development tools.