Accessibility for mobile transport applications: usage, obligations, and best practices

Planning a trip, buying a ticket, tracking a disruption… the accessibility of mobile apps is now a prerequisite for every traveler's independence. Yet, 83% of visually impaired travelers surveyed by Ezymob encounter difficulties with mobility apps. Making these tools accessible has also become a legal requirement, as the European Accessibility Act has extended digital accessibility standards to private transport operators since June 2025. However, only 20% of the twenty largest French cities have conducted a RAAM audit of their apps. This article explores the traveler experience, the regulatory landscape, and the initial steps to take, based on our white paper.

Mobile app accessibility: a matter of traveler independence

For an increasing number of travelers, mobility apps have become the gateway to travel. This is where they plan routes, check for disruptions, purchase tickets, and receive real-time information. When these apps are not accessible, the entire journey becomes uncertain.

The number of people affected is much higher than one might imagine. In France, 12 million people live with a disability, representing one in six people (DREES, 2023), and 80% of these disabilities are invisible. A traveler may need an accessible app without it being apparent on the platform. These travelers are just as connected as everyone else. Among people with disabilities aged 18-59, 88.7% search for information online and 76.2% make online purchases (INSEE, 2024).

However, using digital tools does not mean having full access to them. People with disabilities are more than four times as likely to encounter obstacles when searching for information online: 11.2% compared to 2.5% for the rest of the population. The gap widens further after age 60, where nearly a third of them struggle to use their digital devices, compared to 13.6% of people without disabilities (INSEE, 2024). Yet, searching for information is precisely the first step of any journey.

Making an app accessible does not only benefit people with disabilities. Readable text, simple navigation, and well-organized information also make life easier for seniors, travelers who are less comfortable with digital technology, or those facing temporary difficulties. Accessibility is not an option reserved for a few; it is a condition for quality service for all travelers.

What the European Accessibility Act changes for transport apps

Since June 28, 2025, theEuropean Accessibility Acthas imposed common accessibility rules for digital products and services across the European Union. For mobility stakeholders, this legislation marks a significant shift in scale.

Until now, digital accessibility in France was based on the Law of February 11, 2005, and the RGAA, which primarily concerned public bodies and very large companies. The 2019 Mobility Orientation Law had already strengthened obligations regarding passenger information and the accessibility of digital services for transport networks. The European directive goes further by extending these same requirements to private players in transport, e-commerce, and banking services. Mobile applications are directly affected, as they are part of the service chain targeted by the text.

Above all, accessibility is no longer a recommendation but a measurable, verifiable, and enforceable requirement. In France, the DGCCRF is responsible for inspections, in conjunction with ARCOM, ARCEP, and other sectoral authorities. A non-accessible service is subject to financial penalties of up to 50,000 euros, renewable every six months as long as the non-compliance persists.

For a mobility organizing authority or an operator, the question is no longer whether to make digital tools accessible, but how to do it and within what timeframe. This is where the RAAM, the framework designed to assess the accessibility of mobile applications, comes into play.

What is the RAAM, the mobile application accessibility framework?

The RAAM, or mobile application accessibility framework, is the method used to assess whether an iOS or Android application can be used by everyone, including people with disabilities. Published in 2021 by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, it translates the criteria of the European EN 301 549 standard into a concrete evaluation grid designed for the specificities of mobile devices.

Its value lies in its methodology. A RAAM audit is not limited to checking the application's code. It tests it under real-world conditions, using the tools that travelers use every day. The auditor verifies, for example, that each button is correctly announced by a screen reader like VoiceOver or TalkBack, that the reading order of screens is logical, that navigation gestures work, and that touch interactions remain usable by someone who cannot see the screen or whose movements lack precision.

These details make all the difference in the field. An input field that a screen reader only announces as a "text field," without specifying whether it is the starting point or the destination, is enough to block a blind person at the very first step of their journey.

The RAAM thus makes it possible to measure a compliance rate, identify blocking points, and track progress from one version of the application to the next. Its results also serve as the basis for the accessibility statement.

RGAA or RAAM: which framework for a mobile application?

It all depends on what is being evaluated.

The RGAA, the general framework for improving accessibility, has governed the accessibility of public digital services in France since 2009. Based on the WCAG, the international web accessibility guidelines, it is linked to the same European EN 301 549 standard as the RAAM. However, its testing method was designed for websites, with their pages, links, and forms.

A mobile application works differently. You navigate it using gestures, with a screen reader integrated into the phone, on screens that are constantly changing. This is why the RAAM has established itself as the appropriate method for auditing an application, while the RGAA remains the reference for a website. Many organizations actually combine both. France Identité, for example, had its website audited according to the RGAA and its application according to the RAAM, and publishes the results of both evaluations.

The accessibility statement, an obligation of transparency

The accessibility statement is the public document in which a digital service discloses its actual level of accessibility. Established based on the results of an audit—using the RGAA for a site or the RAAM for an application—it indicates the compliance rate achieved, content that is not yet accessible, any exemptions, and corrections in progress. It also specifies how to report a difficulty.

For public bodies, its publication is mandatory. However, its value goes beyond mere compliance. For travelers, it provides concrete and reliable information. A visually impaired person who does not know that an application is compatible with their screen reader will not use it. Similarly, a wheelchair user will continue to call before every trip if they do not know that the application provides information on the accessibility of stops.

Published and regularly updated, the statement ultimately demonstrates a long-term commitment. For a transport operator, documenting audit results and their evolution even becomes an asset when responding to calls for tenders and public service delegations.

Mobility applications in France: a situation that still varies by region

In recent years, the majority of organizing authorities and operators have initiated a digital accessibility process. The first accessibility statements have been published, compliance measures have been carried out, and certain criteria are now included in public procurement contracts. However, the actual level of accessibility remains very variable from one network to another.

To measure this, Ezymob analyzed the accessibility statements published by the twenty largest French metropolitan areas in January 2026. On the web, progress is well underway, with 65% of them having conducted an RGAA audit of their site, achieving an average accessibility rate of 73%. Mobile applications are significantly lagging behind. Only 20% of metropolitan areas have published the results of an RAAM audit, and the average accessibility rate for their applications is 44%. At the regional level, the gap is even more pronounced, with only one out of thirteen regions having audited its mobility application, and three out of thirteen their website.

These figures reveal a double disparity. Mobile is lagging behind the web, even though the application is now the primary hub for the traveler's journey. Furthermore, the ability to conduct audits and publish their results varies greatly across territories. For a traveler with a disability, the experience therefore still largely depends on the network they are using.

The concrete challenges faced by travelers with disabilities

To understand the impact of these gaps on the ground, Ezymob surveyed two hundred people with visual impairments—both partially sighted and blind—of all ages and from several regions in February 2026. These travelers are regular public transport users, with 77% using it frequently and 19.4% occasionally. Their needs are therefore concrete and daily.

The first finding is clear. 83% of those surveyed encounter difficulties on current mobility applications . And 85% rank compatibility with screen readers as the most essential feature. When an application is not correctly readable by VoiceOver or TalkBack, the experience is not just degraded; access to the service becomes partial, or even impossible.

While the study focuses on visual impairment, its lessons go much further. Difficulties with structure, navigation, and long-term stability also affect travelers with cognitive, hearing, or motor disabilities, and more broadly, anyone who needs clear and reliable information to travel independently.

Where should you start to make your application accessible?

The first step is to know where you stand. An audit provides an objective snapshot of the level of accessibility and prioritizes blocking points. For an application, this is conducted according to the RAAM. An RGAA audit, on the other hand, concerns the network's website. Conducted at regular intervals, the audit allows you to measure progress and identify regressions after each update. Its results inform the accessibility statement.

However, an audit does not tell the whole story. An application might show a decent compliance rate while remaining difficult to use while standing on a bus, with one hand occupied, in bright sunlight, or in a noisy environment. You must therefore compare the results with real-world usage by observing concrete journeys and identifying the moment a traveler encounters an obstacle or gives up. Tests conducted with users representing different disability profiles reveal what criteria checklists miss. Associations are valuable partners for organizing these. This is the approach Ezymob takes with APF France Handicap, EPNAK, the Valentin Haüy Association, and the Collectif Handicap Visuel.

The process must then be sustained over time. Designating an accessibility lead ensures consistency between product teams, business departments, and service providers. This role does not necessarily require creating a new position, but it gives the subject a full-fledged place in the digital strategy.

Finally, public procurement remains an often underutilized lever. Integrating accessibility requirements into specifications guides providers from the very beginning. To be effective, these clauses must be precise and verifiable, specifying the expected level of compliance, the applicable standard, control procedures, and long-term monitoring.