BMTC awaits govt nod for major tech overhaul

The city buses will have a more reliable and efficient service if the state government approves the work order to overhaul the BMTC’s IT infrastructure under the Nirbhaya Fund. It is also the first stage of the corporation’s plan to migrate to a digital payment domain.

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has already finalised the tender process to install CCTV cameras and GPS systems in 5,000 buses, besides building an app and software for automatic vehicle location and bus management at an estimated cost of Rs 49 crore.

Due to a rule brought in after Covid-19, projects above Rs 5 crore needs the state government’s approval.

BMTC sources said the corporation has used the off time during the pandemic to re-strategise and come up with a comprehensive plan to utilise Rs 42 crore received under the Nirbhaya scheme.

Once the approvals come, officials said the contractor will have four months to deploy the system. “In fact, we are hoping the work will be completed in three months. This is the first step to make the service reliable and provide a safe environment. We are getting the basic infrastructure in place as part of the overhaul. The next step is to introduce a new system of fare collection with digital payment,” a source added.

The new GPS system at AIS 140 standards will support dual-mode. The BMTC can track buses live while the centre can pull the data for better planning of transportation by assessing the demand and supply in the cities.

The existing infrastructure under the intelligent transport system will be removed since most devices are either broken or not performing up to the mark. “The company that provided the service has gone bankrupt. Since the contract will end by December, we are hoping to have a replacement by then,” an official said.