Technical snag gags surfing bid on Vayu Vajra buses

The 22 LCD monitors with virtual keyboards were often not functional.  The monitors blip only after the bus runs for 10-15 minutes. Since all the passengers start using the monitors simultaneously, a few of them shut down due to shortage of power. The engine is kept running close to an hour even when parked so as to charge the monitors.

Breakdown

The bus operators felt that over usage of the battery might cause a breakdown.
“I hopped on the bus only because it has internet facility. I was told that the system was switched off since it had no charge. It is very irritating and disappointing,” said Kirthi M, a passenger in the bus.

Jitendhar G S, CEO of EAFT technologies, the technical partner for the project, said some miscreants had sabotaged the system.

“They might have snapped the wire connecting the system and battery as a result of which a few monitors stopped working,” he said. To solve the problem, an additional battery was installed in all three buses, on Monday.

Poor connectivity

The trial run also saw problems with connectivity and speed.  The connectivity is best available between 8 am and 5 pm but after these timings, the service gets slow and disconnect at regular intervals. The connectivity is poor up to Hebbal. “It is wonderful to access internet on the move. It would be better if the speed was faster” Shreyas, an engineering student said.

Notwithstanding these glitches, most of the passengers enjoyed the experience of surfing internet while travelling.

As the internet is connected via Wi-Fi,  passengers can also access the internet through their mobile handsets and laptops. Passengers can access applications such as daily horoscopes, live stock exchange news, flight e-check-in and e-news at the touch of a button. The most popular sites visited are news, youtube and entertainment sites.

The internet facility is currently available only in three Vayu Vajra buses plying to the Bengaluru International Airport from Electronic city, Whitefield and Majestic doing 20 rounds per day.