By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A new app that helps blind and visually impaired pedestrians to use public transportation will be launched at a Washington subway station Tuesday.

Waymap is an audio guide that provides step-by-step directions for visually impaired and blind people. It claims to be accurate to within 3 feet of a journey.

This app doesn’t use GPS. It can be used indoors and outdoors regardless of the signal strength. The app loads detailed map data to a phone and then uses motion sensors to provide precise directions.

Advocates of the Blind, Washington’s Metro Transit System, Verizon Communications (NYSE:), the company that supported the start-up accelerator program. The app’s creator will be promoting the launch at the Tuesday news conference in Washington.

“Mobility is not a luxury,” said Waymap founder and CEO Tom Pey, who is blind and argues other apps are not precise enough. “It’s a human rights.”

Pey stated that blind travelers use only a few routes to reach their home as they rely on memory and lack of confidence.

Pey explained that 25 routes and 250 routes are possible instead of the 2.5-mile route. Pey stated that this will make it easier for people to travel independently and not rely on friends and family.

Waymap will deploy in stages. The goal is to have the app available at 30 Metro stations and more than 1,000 bus stops before September. By the end of 2023, the app should be accessible across all Metro systems.

“It’s part of our mission to make Metro accessible to all people at every walk of life,” said Metro CFO Dennis Anosike.

Pey hopes that the app will be used by other Washingtonians without vision impairments to improve and refine the directions. Pey stated that the app is actually an act of kindness.