A smartphone app is helping the blind stay mobile with public transport, giving up-to-the-minute location and stop information that is often lacking.

The app is being trialled in Perth, with plans to spread it interstate, and has already been well received by a number of early adopters.

It is called Stop Announcer, and it primarily does just that – announcing the upcoming stops along a train or bus route in enough time for a person to ring the bell to get off.

The software was created by a Perth-based designer, Voon-Li Chung, who was inspired by the recent legal action launched by the human rights commissioner in NSW against rail operators.

The Commissioner said in a radio interview that the standard voice announcements are not sufficient for visually-impaired people to find their way through the network.

“So basically you would have to sit there and focus on every time the train stopped in order to keep track of where you were and if you got distracted or you didn't count that was it,” he said.

Mr Chung found a solution to the issue in the capability of modern mobile phones.

“You tell the app ... the route that you are taking, it will provide you with the announcement as you approach your destination,” he said.

The app costs just a few dollars for Android users living in Perth, and Mr Chung says it will be expanded to cover other metropolitan areas.

“I'm in the process of looking for someone who's interested in volunteering to trial an Adelaide version of this software,” he said.