From February next year BMTC buses can be tracked in real time

The BMTC app to track buses will be relaunched on February 26 next year with the new Intelligence Transport System (ITS), which is expected to go live days before.

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) Managing Director V Anbukumar said that the ITS project, funded by the Nirbhaya scheme, had been delayed by Covid but was back on track. “The new system will be fully operational from February 26 onwards. We’re already discussing testing the system on a pilot basis in the next few days,” he said.

Anbukumar said the ITS system would offer comprehensive information right from vehicle tracking to driver behaviour, seat occupancy and CCTV footage. The mobile app to provide reliable data on bus arrival and departure is in testing, he added.

The BMTC introduced the ITS in 2016, paying the private firm Trimax Rs 1.1 crore a month to run it and provide electronic ticketing machines (ETM). “The system didn’t function efficiently and repeated attempts at salvaging it had failed. Finally, the contract ended last year, after which it was decided to revamp the system using Nirbhaya funds,” an official said.

The BMTC had awarded a Rs 37.5-crore project to a Manipal Technologies Limited-led consortium to complete setting up ITS by August this year. Under the scheme, the state would pitch in 40% of the cost while the Centre would offer the remaining 60%.

The project includes installation of a GPS device and two cameras in 5,000 buses and a public information board with arrival and departure information at traffic and transit management centres (TTMCs).

The work also includes backend operations like tracking buses and data management while providing information to the public via an app.

“The company cited Covid for delay in implementing the project,” said an official. “We’ve told them to get the system running by the end of the year so that we can rectify any errors before going live. The BMTC app is already being tested by a dedicated team to ensure full integration with the new system.”

PIS inside metro stations

The BMTC has approached the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to display electronic Public Information System (PIS) boards inside metro stations. “We’ve asked (BMRCL) for space (inside some metro stations) to display PIS boards to encourage intermodal connectivity and provide real-time information on last-mile service,” an official said, adding that talks are going on regarding the board’s aesthetics and size.