Bengaluru: For harried bus commuters, the prolonged waits at BMTC bus stands could soon be a thing of the past and they would even be able to plan their trips in advance.
It’s all due to the installation of the long-awaited ‘Intelligent Transport System’ (ITS) in buses, which is expected to be completed in June. As part of the project the BMTC has installed two digital bus information display boards at its Majestic terminus on Thursday, which display real-time information. The display systems are connected to the GPS system installed in the buses. These boards will display information about buses scheduled, time needed for their arrival to the terminus and their departure time. One of those display boards was installed in platform number 5.
“For the first time, I have seen such an arrangement by the BMTC. Till now we were clueless about the arrival or departure of buses. This new system will definitely reduce the waiting time for the buses. If we get a clear picture about bus arrival and departure timings, everyone can plan their trip in advance,” said Shantha Mahadev, a passenger.
But according to the BMTC officials, the project is still in the trial stage. The control room is ready, but other aspects such as installation of GPS systems in all the buses, setting up LED displays in all major bus stations are yet to be completed. By June we can expect a full-fledged GPS-based real time bus arrival and departure system,” said a senior BMTC officer. The project was originally scheduled to be completed by January.
Transport dept rejects cab aggregators’ plea for licence
The ongoing tug-of-war between the state transport department and the cab aggregators took a turn for the worse on Friday, with the state transport department rejecting the applications filed by cab aggregators seeking a licence. The reason given was that the applications were incomplete.
Ramegowda, commissioner, state transport department, told this newspaper that as per the new rules and regulations notified by the department on the matter of cab aggregators, all the service providers must submit the list of cab drivers along with their cab numbers, to obtain the license.
“But,” he pointed out, “cab aggregators have submitted applications without the required data. So naturally these applications have been rejected,” he said.
As per the new rules prescribed by the state transport department for cab aggregators, all the service providers were directed to provide full information about the fleets and drivers to get a license. With cab aggregators not providing the full information, now the transport department has decided not to issue licenses.
A transport department official told this newspaper that with these cab aggregators increasing their fleet numbers on a daily basis, providing real-time information may not be possible for them. “But at least they could have submitted whatever information was available,” he said.
Helpline
Meanwhile, the state transport department has decided to launch a helpline to facilitate those passengers who want to lodge complaints against the cab aggregators over matters like surge pricing. Joint commissioner (enforcement) Mr. Narendra Holkar informed that this helpline will be activated soon to enable aggrieved commuters to lodge complaints.
