Transport Minister Announces Bus Tracking Devices, Student Services
Replying to the discussion on the demand for grants to his ministry, the minister said the devices and buttons would be fitted to the central monitoring centre to know the bus location, moving speed and the exact route
Chennai: Transport minister A. Vijay Thamizhan Parthiban on Tuesday announced that vehicle location test devices and emergency help buttons would be fitted to 13,490 government buses at a cost of Rs. 18 crore to ensure passenger protection and monitor the bus movements on a real-time basis. He said special buses would be operated to connect villages and hilly regions without bus facilities in the mornings and evenings for the benefit of about 19,000 students.
Replying to the discussion on the demand for grants to his ministry, the minister said the devices and buttons would be fitted to the central monitoring centre to know the bus location, moving speed and the exact route. When passengers seek emergency help, a quick solution could be found in coordination with the concerned officials and the police department.
Steps would be taken to increase the revenue obtained from sources other than bus fares by earning Rs. 124 crore every year by using35 acres of land belonging to the transport department in eight places, he said while ensuring that the land rights of the transport corporations or the fleet movements would not be affected.
He said rails would be installed in 10,524 buses to bring down the danger of motorists and cyclists going under the buses and losing their lives. The rails would be fixed on both sides at a budget of Rs. 15 crore in a way to prevent the two-wheelers from getting under the buses. Integrated goods transport services would be introduced in 9,536 buses to earn additional revenue of Rs. 28 crore.
Vijay Thamizhan Parthiban said 100 diesel buses which are seven years old but in good condition would be converted into electric vehicles. The minister promised to speed up the motor compensation cases to ensure timely relief for the affected people and their families. A monitoring service centre with fuel sensors and to check gas in the tyres would be formed. This would help the transport corporations to monitor the quantity of fuel, filling details, loss of fuel, air pressure in tyres and temperature.
