BMTC will roll out their app next month

Rachana Ramesh | NT

Bengaluru:

The void in the reliability of service has been one of the biggest reasons why residents of the city opt to not travel in the BMTC. To solve the issue, the app will once again be made available to commuters next month. The long-awaited application is on the verge of completion and only requires a few finishing touches, said the IT Director, Surya Sen.

“The GPS devices have been installed in 3,500 buses so far. We have been doing it every day but the task lies in bringing it all together into the application and building accuracy. This will take some time to stabilise and hence we have given December as the deadline,” he said.

The BMTC currently has a fleet of 6,798 buses. It has been suffering since June 2019 to keep a track of its buses and generate tickets as many bus-tracking systems malfunctioned while electronic ticketing machines supplied by Trimax IT Infrastructure and Services Limited broke down. However, in 2020, the corporation decided to revamp the IT infrastructure using the Nirbhaya funds provided.

Manipal Technologies was given the tender of installing GPS devices, cameras and alarm buttons but the unprecedented pandemic slowed down the process. With a maximum error margin of 20 meters, the soon-to-be functional application will display the arrival and departure information. BMTC is also planning to open up the tracking data to integrate bus services with other modes of public transport.

“The live tracking app was a very big hit and if the BMTC brings it back, the footfall will certainly increase as it creates convenience. When I know my bus is only five minutes away, why would I fetch an auto?,” said Yathish Kumar, one of the founders of Friends of BMTC, a Telegram group where they provide live updates of buses moving across the city.

New features, big promises The improved BMTC app, which is to be rolled out next month, will have the option to track the buses along with an SOS button. It will also have a system through which fare payments can be made to buy tickets and passes for daily commutes. The tracking system will help the corporation in identifying overspeeding vehicles, detours made on arbitrary conditions and severe application of brakes.

It will also help curb one of the most consistent complaints by commuters – buses skipping designated stops. On the other hand, the SOS feature on the application, if clicked on, will directly alert the cops, and send a message to the BMTC command centre. These authorities will then have three minutes to respond. Besides the SOS feature provided within the app, the buses will also be incorporated with a physical SOS button.

Along with the authorities, a trusted contact of the passenger will also be notified. The control room will respond first to understand the nature of the emergency and dispatch the necessary resources, while the BMTC will dispatch a Sarathi vehicle and try to establish contact with the driver. The live bus feed will also be examined.

“Travelling in the bus is often not seen as a safe mode of transport as they are crowded and men tend to take over the women’s section. The SOS feature will certainly make women feel safer to choose to travel in BMTC, especially during the late hours of the night,” said Drishti (name changed), a regular commuter