NWKRTC launches e-solution

To address various shortcomings it has been battling over the years, the North-West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) on Monday launched ‘e-SMART (Sahaya Hasta)’, an electronic solution for management and administration of road transport system.

Stating that the project has been developed using modern technology, NWKRTC managing director Manoj Jain said: “It comprises 11 services, of which we are launching five meant for commuters today. The remaining will be launched in a phased manner.”

The facilities under e-SMART allows commuters to avail themselves of information like bus time table, seat availablitity and phone numbers related to the Corporation through both online and toll free number (1800-425-1836). The citizens, Jain said, can also file their grievances online. “A total of 48 depot performances and operations will be monitored online on a daily basis. Details on revenue collections, bus status, route cancellations et al can also be obtained in real time,” he said.
More importantly, he said, NWKRTC staff will be able to monitor and report accidents and breakdown information through android applications, which they can download on phones they will be provided with by the Corporation, and the helpline, which is called remote monitoring system with photos, videos and other vital details, to use as evidence.

He said that the NWKRTC has paid about Rs 16crore to Rs 17-crore in compensation last year. “The compensation to be paid in case of fatal accidents is increasing. We believe that with the new system, the response time during an accident will reduce, which will thereby bring down the number of fatal accidents,” he said.

In the coming days, more components and features will be added to the e-SMART project. “Radio-frequency identification (RFID) smart card bus passes will be tried out in Hubli and Belgaum on a pilot basis and the same will be emulated in other places depending on the kind of response we receive,” Jain said. The RFID cards will be launched by July 15.

Corporation to adopt ITMS

Manoj Jain, managing director, NWKRTC, said on Monday that the Corporation will have ‘Intelligent Transport and Management System (ITMS) operational in the regions it operates by December-end.

“It has been a huge success in Mysore. People are of the opinion that north Karnataka is backward and there is not too much of development there, we want to change that. So, we will introduce the system there,” Jain said. The project has already reached the requisition for proposal stage.