Onde posso obter o onibus para Amherst Street?" A Portuguese-speaking resident may ask where to get the bus to Amherst Street.

"Puedes hacer el cambio?" Another rider who speaks Spanish might want to know if the driver can make change.

Nashua Transit System buses are now equipped with an online language translator that enables drivers and riders to communicate directly with each other in seconds.

The transit system recently launched Google Translate on all its fixed routes and paratransit buses, which serve the disabled and senior citizens.

"With the growing diversity in our community, this new feature makes it even easier for people to utilize transit as a way to get around our city," said Raymond Blethen, general manager for First Transit, which operates Nashua Transit System buses for the city.

NTS buses use tablets for passenger counts and to track bus fare. The transit system recently added Google Translate to all tablets, which provides translations in up to 50 different languages. Drivers were trained in using the feature in early spring.

The transit system previously relied on ride guides written in several different languages, including Braille, and Language Line interpretation services to communicate with riders.

"In a world of cultural diversity and language barriers, this simple feature is more relevant because it also makes a positive impact on the people in our community who rely on NTS for their transportation needs," said Kristi Gillette, who is the city’s transit operations supervisor overseeing regulations mandated by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The NTS served 445,087 passengers last year, according to the city’s website.

For more information, visit www.ridebig blue.com or call the NTS at 880-0100.

Kathryn Marchocki can be reached at 594-6589, kmarchocki@nashuatelegraph.com or @Tele-graph_KMar.