GPS, emergency buttons must in public vehicles

As a part of safety measure, the government on Wednesday made it mandatory that new public transport vehicles registered on or after January 1, 2019 must have vehicle location tracking devices and emergency buttons.

"All new public service vehicles except auto rickshaws and e-rickshaws, registered on and after January 1, 2019, will have to be equipped with Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) devices and emergency buttons," the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.

It said that fixing of VLT and emergency buttons have been made mandatory via notification.

The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways took this decision to ensure the safety of passengers, especially women.