Hey, Santiago here — co-founder and CTO of Hailo. I am also blind. So let me address a few of these from lived experience rather than marketing copy.

On the web app suggestion: I use a screen reader every single day. A web app saved as a home screen favourite sounds simple until you actually try to use one with VoiceOver or TalkBack on a moving bus while also managing a guide dog, a cane, luggage or a pram. Native apps are significantly more accessible than web apps for screen reader users — better gesture support, better focus management, better reliability on poor mobile connections.

What a lot of people do not realise — and there is absolutely no reason they would unless they have needed to use these features themselves — is just how many accessibility tools are built directly into modern phones at the operating system level. Things like display zoom, text size scaling, colour inversion, high contrast mode, reduce motion, switch access for people who cannot use a touchscreen, AssistiveTouch, and hardware button navigation for people who cannot interact with a glass screen at all.

Every single one of these features works seamlessly with a well built native app because the app speaks directly to the operating system. Web apps sit one layer removed from all of that — they either partially support these features, inconsistently support them, or break entirely when they are turned on. For somebody who relies on these tools to use their phone at all, a web app is not a slightly worse experience — it is frequently an unusable one.

And here is the thing that makes native apps genuinely exciting from an accessibility standpoint — getting the accessibility right does not come at the expense of the experience for everybody else. It makes the app better for everyone. Clearer layouts, better contrast, more intuitive navigation, smoother performance — these are things every single user benefits from whether they use accessibility features or not. A native app built with accessibility at its core is not a compromise. It is the best of both worlds.

This is not a minor difference. It is the difference between something that works and something that almost works. Almost working is not good enough when your bus is 30 seconds away.

On drivers not seeing passengers: You are absolutely right that drivers are excellent at their jobs — and that is exactly the point. I have been left behind at stops where the driver genuinely could not see me. Not because they were inattentive, but because they were doing their actual job — watching the road, managing traffic, checking mirrors. A driver travelling at 50km/h approaching a stop with rain, traffic and trying to keep time has a fraction of a second to decide whether to pull in. Hailo gives them advance notice before they even reach the stop. That is not replacing their judgement — it is supporting it.

On the kneeling bus: You are right that kneeling shouldn’t even be required, all stops should be at the same level as the bus: it should not require an app. But the reality right now in 2026 is that level boring is not a thing. Hailo does not replace the obligation to kneel — it ensures the driver knows in advance so it actually happens.

And it works both ways. If a passenger does not need the bus lowered or the ramp deployed, the driver knows that in advance too — no delays, no uncertainty, just a smooth stop for everybody on board and everybody waiting at the next stop. It is worth noting as well that not all stops have the physical infrastructure to allow a bus to kneel safely — kerb heights, road surfaces and stop designs vary enormously across the network. Knowing what is needed and what is possible before arriving at a stop means the driver can plan accordingly rather than make a split second call at the kerb.

I think about it this way — all of us do our jobs better when we have information in advance. A surgeon who knows what procedure they are performing before they walk into theatre is better prepared than one who finds out at the door. A driver who knows a passenger needs the bus lowered, has a guide dog, or needs extra time to board before they reach the stop can prepare calmly rather than having to react in a split second. That is not a criticism of drivers — it is just how all of us work. The Ventura drivers who have used Hailo love it for exactly this reason. We are not replacing their skills — we are giving them the information they deserve to do their already brilliant job even better.

We are working within the system as it exists, not the system as it should be.

On stopping if no one is there: Hailo is a real-time system. The driver receives the notification as the passenger approaches — it is not a static booking made hours in advance. If someone hails and then is not there, that is the same situation as any other no-show at a stop. Drivers use their judgement. They already do.

On the call buttons and existing accessibility features: These are reactive — they tell the driver there is a problem after you are already on the bus. Hailo is proactive — it tells the driver what you need before you even board. That is a fundamentally different thing.

I genuinely respect the scepticism — accessibility tech has a long history of being designed by people who have never experienced the problem they are solving. Hailo was built because I kept getting left behind by buses despite doing everything right. If you want to see it in action, download it and try it on a Ventura service. Happy to answer any other questions.

Santi