By Tiffany Lewis
You may soon hear OC Transpo buses announcing their stops from outside the bus - provided they become exempt from a noise bylaw.
Councillor Michael Qaqish and Councillor Stephen Blais - the chair of the City's Transit Commission - have put forward a motion to allow buses to have exterior public address systems.
Qaqish tells CFRA’s Ottawa Now he wants the buses to call out the terminal destination of the route for people who are visually impaired.
That goes against a current bylaw which doesn't allow moving vehicles to have exterior PA systems.
“This basically makes an exemption, in order for those buses to be able to do that as we roll them out on OC Transpo’s fleet,” Qaqish says.
Qaqish says this move is part of a plan to improve accessibility.
“We want to make sure everybody can use the bus, including people with disabilities,” he says.