The goal, for now, is to make Lisbon's Oriente Station accessible to people who are blind or have reduced vision, and Paulo Santos, president of the Lisbon branch of the Portuguese Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (ACAPO), demonstrates how this solution should work.

On platform B of Carris buses, Paulo Santos explains that it requires an iPhone or Android phone, which can read coloured barcodes specifically designed for blind people to navigate public transportation.

Through these codes, and through audio, you learn where to turn and how far you have to walk to find the stairs that give you access to the underground and, later, to the subway level.

Paulo Santos told reporters that the initial perception is positive and that he believes it could bring "significant improvements and autonomy for people with visual impairments."

"This was a space where there were many difficulties because there were no waypoints. Today, with this project implemented here, despite being only between the metropolitan route and the Lisbon subway, a blind or visually impaired person can move independently without the dangers of architectural or structural barriers," he explained.

He added that the project has been in the works for a year, and ACAPO's role has been not only to contribute to the solution but also to test it until its widespread implementation.

Paulo Santos gives a positive assessment of this pilot project, but regarding public transportation in Lisbon, he says it's "poor," with many things still needing improvement. He gives as an example that the audio system on Carris buses, which warns of approaching stops, is "turned off by drivers (...) because it seems to be annoying."

Paulo Sousa, therefore, hopes that the pilot project presented and demonstrated to journalists will be implemented in other locations and on other public transportation systems, noting that accessibility legislation is not only outdated but also not enforced.

Sónia Páscoa, administrator of the Lisbon Metro, said that these projects are "extremely important" and assured that the company is working to improve accessibility on the metro, both with the acquisition of new carriages and with improvement works at several stations.