A woman boarding a BMTC bus.
DH Photo
The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will launch its bus tracking app on September 25 to coincide with its silver jubilee celebrations, a senior official said.
The Namma BMTC app lets passengers track buses in real time, get information about bus services and their estimated arrival and departure times, plan their journey, and buy daily and monthly bus passes. It also has an SOS button that passengers can use to seek remote assistance during an emergency.
The app was developed by a consortium of Manipal Cads and Technology Pvt Ltd and AMNEX. Manipal was the lead bidder, while AMNEX was the technology partner.
The app was released on December 1, 2022, and underwent a mandatory trial run weeks later. The beta version was launched on April 18, 2023, on Android and iOS. The BMTC made about 6,000 of its 6,688 buses available for tracking.
While the app's beta version saw more than one lakh downloads, passengers complained about inaccuracies in it, especially about tracking buses in real time.
BMTC Managing Director G Sathyavathi said the reason why the app's official launch was delayed was because they worked to fix the glitches.
The BMTC has now called tenders for a third-party inspection of the app to further improve its performance.
Bus depot visit
On Monday, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy visited the Kalasipalya bus station, which opened in February.
He promised to address complaints about the functioning of the bus station. He also announced a 50% cut in parking charges for private stage-carriage buses at the Kalasipalya terminal. The BMTC will charge Rs 1,500 per month per bus, as against Rs 3,000, he added.
About 250 private buses use the terminal every month, according to a BMTC official said.
Bengaluru bandh
On Monday, the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Associations notified the city police about its plans to conduct a Bengaluru bandh on September 11 and take a rally from Sangolli Rayanna Circle to Freedom Park.
The bandh is in protest against the government's "failure" to meet private operators' demands.
No extra fare for night services
The BMTC will no longer charge extra fares for its night bus services.
The BMTC runs 98 bus services from Majestic on trunk routes such as Yelahanka, Attibele, ITPL, Kengeri and Banashankari between 11 pm and 5 am. Passengers are charged 50% more, which will be done away with, a BMTC official said.