Onboard infotainment in TSRTC buses soon

​Hyderabad: Soon one can watch news, entertainment programmes including films while travelling by RTC buses. The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) is planning to air TV programmes through direct beaming.

According to the officials, it has been decided to use cloud technology to tap TV signals and relay to the TV sets installed in buses so that the passengers could watch news or entertainment programmes or films.

The decision was taken following many complaints of pirated films being aired on TVs in RTC buses. To get rid of this problem for good, the officials want to beam television programmes directly to the TVs in the buses. A passenger recently raised objection to showing a new release film Krishnarjuna Yuddham on TV set in the bus.

The Corporation has a fleet of over 10,500 buses and the plan is to have TVs in all the buses, said TSRTC Managing Director G V Ramana Rao, speaking to Hans India. He said that the services would be called ‘On board entertainment’. He said that unlike the present process where compact discs or an USB flash drives are used, the programmes would be aired through online beaming. 

When asked about the network issues arising because of bus entering remote areas, the MD said that the programmes would be telecast through cloud seeding technology. The corporation would also have the advantage of running advertisements and also can provide information to the passengers about the schedule of the bus like the next halt and exact timing of the approaching station/town/village, he said.

The MD further said that television sets are already installed in many buses for the remaining buses we have to procure new sets. “We are having the vehicle tracking system running in the RTC buses and television sets are in place in about 2,000 buses apart from the regular long-distance buses. 

It will not be an issue for the Corporation as the agency will be selected through competitive bidding,” said Ramana Rao. The tender process and all other formalities would be completed in around six months and then ‘on board entertainment’ would be provide to the passengers, he added.