Brussels: 'This tram is going to...'

In a move that seems so obvious it's amazing it's only now being done, Brussels is adding loudspeakers to its trams and buses that will announce to waiting passengers where the tram or bus is headed.

The announcements, which will especially help those who are visually-impaired, unfamiliar with the city or unable to read, mirror those already made in the vehicle, announcing the next stop and the route.

Brieuc de Meeûs, head of transit operator STIB, told press that “When modernising, the emphasis should always be on comfort and convenience for travellers... displays already provide (visual) information about the arriving vehicles. The announcement of the next stop has been common for a long time onboard vehicles. From now on, travellers who are outside waiting at stops will also receive the same information.”