With support from Ruta N and Toyota Mobility Foundation, Medellín-based company creates platform to identify routes with fewer slopes and obstacles
By Ruta N -The project combines technology and physical signage, enabling safer, more autonomous, and more accessible journeys.
Thanks to an alliance between Ruta N and Toyota Mobility Foundation, the company Más Urbano is advancing the development of Pendiente Cero, a digital platform that will allow people to identify routes with fewer slopes and report obstacles in real time in the Manrique and Aranjuez neighborhoods, making these districts pioneers in the adoption of more autonomous, comfortable, and safer mobility routes.
The initiative is currently progressing through a pilot route identified and validated together with the community, especially with people with diverse mobility needs (strollers, bicycles, wheelchairs, crutches, among others). The route connects Centro Cultural Moravia and Comfama Aranjuez and is envisioned as the first segment of a much larger network.
“People are willing to report any physical barrier they encounter. It has been very positive — we have received more than 1,500 photographs of locations that need attention. We have also conducted workshops with residents to determine how signage could be made more visible,” explained Manuel Londoño, coordinator of Más Urbano.
Pendiente Cero includes the identification of less steep routes connecting homes with key destinations such as healthcare centers, educational spaces, commercial areas, and public transportation stations. In addition, the project combines physical interventions in the territory, such as signage and route markings, to promote citizen care and community ownership of spaces designed for everyone.
“At Ruta N, we work to ensure innovation leaves the laboratory and improves people’s quality of life. Today, we are moving forward with this alliance. We want the journey between home, the bus stop, and the destination to be more comfortable and have fewer obstacles for everyone. This is how we demonstrate that science, technology, and innovation truly impact people’s everyday lives,” said Carolina Londoño, Executive Director of Ruta N.
In addition to Más Urbano, the “Mobility for All” project supports four other pilots focused on improving accessible mobility in Medellín. Among them are Brazo Amigo, which is developing a propulsion device for wheelchair users; Universidad EAFIT and Solyon, which are working on mobile applications to guide travel decisions based on route conditions and the availability of accessible transportation; and El Comité, which is developing a physical lifting platform to facilitate access to buses for people with reduced mobility and their caregivers.
“Our philosophy is grounded in trust and cooperation, and Ruta N’s impact has been key throughout this process. Their technical expertise and understanding of the local environment make them the ideal partner for testing innovative solutions in the city,” added Lorielyn Mills, Program Director at Toyota Mobility Foundation.
Through these initiatives, which bring together international partners, Ruta N reaffirms the impact of its strategic vision for the District: connecting Medellín with the world so that innovation can close social gaps and transform people’s everyday lives by bringing technological solutions to the streets.
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