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BMTC to overhaul intelligent transport system

Last Updated 08 January 2020, 21:02 IST

The BMTC is set to overhaul its Intelligent Transport System (ITS), as Trimax — the company that set up the infrastructure and provided the service to the corporation by charging Rs 1.1 crore month — has not been able to provide the required services since last December.

In an interaction with DH and Prajavani on Wednesday, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) Chairman N S Nandiesha Reddy said they were working on a plan to take over the entire ITS infrastructure and digital ecosystem.

The ITS was deployed for real-time tracking of buses, fleet management, providing information to the BMTC app as well as integrating data from electronic payment machines to the operations.

The system facilitates the corporation to provide quality service by monitoring drivers. The ITS was designed to alert the central office about drivers indulging in overspeeding, skipping stops or even horse-breaking.

This allowed officials to take corrective action.

However, ever since the company filed for insolvency, the BMTC’s operation management has been affected. “We have held discussions and decided to take over the ITS, as the company has not been able to deliver the services. Without the ITS, a major part of our operations will be hurt. We hope to decide within the next few days,” Reddy said.

Officials in the BMTC said that according to the agreement, the company’s contract ends in July 2021.

The board of directors of the BMTC has already authorised the “changeover plan”, which may involve the corporation taking over the ITS or handing it over to another company. Officials are keeping all options open.

“Considering that most of the features of the ITS are effectively not available, there is an urgency for the changeover. We are talking to Trimax for a smooth transition in a phased manner. For the BMTC to take over the ITS, a team of skilled personnel is required for back-end operations. We are counting the cost,” the official said.

Lessons from Delhi

The officials had recently visited Delhi to understand the model of ITS implemented by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).

“We looked at the operations of DIMTS, a special purpose vehicle which has helped the DTC implement the ITS. No decisions have been taken about the company. But we are trying to see if we can bring a similar robust model in the BMTC,” the official said.

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(Published 08 January 2020, 18:50 IST)

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