Transport accessibility is not an extra. MetroRadar will show metro lift status

MetroRadar was created to make journeys around Warsaw more predictable. I never wanted to build it only for a person who can easily take the stairs, change platforms quickly or walk to another entrance. Public transport should provide the greatest possible independence in reaching work, education, healthcare, culture and everyday life.

That is why accessibility is one of the most important directions for MetroRadar. The next step I plan is clear information about whether lifts at Warsaw metro stations are working. A passenger who needs step-free access should be able to check before leaving home, not discover the barrier at a closed lift door.

For some passengers a lift outage means a few lost minutes and using the stairs. For a wheelchair user it can make the station inaccessible. It can also affect people using walking aids, people with limited mobility or temporary injuries, older passengers, carers with pushchairs and anyone who needs a step-free route.

The consequence may be more than a delay. An inaccessible station can prevent someone from reaching work, school, medical care or rehabilitation independently. A lack of timely information turns an infrastructure fault into real transport exclusion.

• wheelchair users and people using mobility aids,
• people with temporary injuries, chronic pain or limited stamina,
• older passengers and anyone for whom stairs present a risk,
• parents and carers travelling with pushchairs,
• anyone who needs a step-free route at that moment.

A lift shown on a station plan does not guarantee it can be used now. Passengers need its current condition, exact location, the levels it connects and any alternative step-free route before the journey begins.

Warsaw publishes information about lifts taken out of service and their locations at metro stations. I want MetroRadar to use reliable available sources and present the essential status in the context of a station and a saved route. MetroRadar will not replace the infrastructure operator; it should shorten the path from an official update to a passenger’s decision.

The first planned scope covers stations on M1 and M2. Each station should show an understandable lift status on the map and in station details, with no need to search through a long list of notices.

The design must distinguish several states. If current confirmation is unavailable, the app should not pretend that a lift definitely works. An honest “No current data” status is safer than false certainty.

• Working, out of service, planned maintenance or no current data,
• the time of the latest update and a clearly identified source,
• the lift location and the station levels it connects,
• an accessible alternative entrance or route when reliable data allows it,
• optional alerts when a lift stops working and when service is restored.

A lift status can determine an important travel decision. The feature therefore depends on sufficiently current data, a clear link between each device, entrance and station level, and reliable status updates. I will not promise real-time information until the sources and update frequency genuinely support that claim.

Official information must remain clearly separate from any future community reports. A passenger signal can be a useful early warning, but it should not automatically look like a confirmed operator notice. Every status needs a source, timestamp and understandable confidence level.

I do not want to design accessibility from assumptions alone. Wheelchair users, blind and partially sighted passengers, people with limited mobility and their families know which information is genuinely useful and when it must appear.

The screen itself must work with screen readers, large text and sufficient contrast, follow a logical reading order and never rely on colour alone. If a lift outage affects your Warsaw metro journeys, please send your experience through the MetroRadar contact form or to metroalertwarszawa@gmail.com.

A lift status may be a small element on the screen, but it can decide whether someone travels independently. MetroRadar cannot solve transport exclusion alone, but it can stop overlooking information that is essential to many passengers.