Bus tracking project hits a roadblock

Bus tracking project hits a roadblock
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Highlights

The work on ambitious proposal of TSRTC to provide information to the passengers on the real time position and movement of the bus through SMS with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS), which is also called the vehicle tracking and passenger information system (VT&PIS), is progressing at a snail’s pace because of shortage of funds.

Hyderabad: The work on ambitious proposal of TSRTC to provide information to the passengers on the real time position and movement of the bus through SMS with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS), which is also called the vehicle tracking and passenger information system (VT&PIS), is progressing at a snail’s pace because of shortage of funds.

The TSRTC had announced that it would introduce the system about two years ago. Under the system every bus stop and also the buses were to be given a unique code/name and the information was to be stored in the central server.

If a passenger wants to travel on a particular route he/she can get information about the exact number of buses available within a stipulated time and at what time the bus would reach station.

All that the passenger needs to do is to type the route, time and send it to a unique number. The passenger would get the reply specifying the number of buses on the route at that particular time. This was aimed to save time and also allow the passenger to plan his journey according to the bus arrival timings.

For the passengers inside the bus, the technology would pass on information like next station, exact time of arrival of the station. The technology would provide information to the passenger with the help of LED/LCD screens and also in audio mode in three languages.

RTC officials said that VT&PIS has qualities like high resolution cameras, which can even focus on minute details in the bus. This would help in having surveillance on the bus.

The technology provides an emergency button in the bus and if the driver finds anything disturbing, he would press the button and the central server would get the information (through SoS message facility) that something has gone wrong with the bus, the cameras in the bus would give a clear picture, explained the official.

The system would provide information about the driver, conductor, and exact position of the bus. If a cursor is pointed out on a bus in the map, it would show all these data, he said. The Corporation is at present running the system on the route number 127A and 222 on experimental basis but there was no progress in the project because of fund crunch, he added.

The vehicle tracking and passenger information system (VT&PIS) supported by the Ministry of surface Transport and Highways with a funding of Rs 18 crore. The corporation wanted to introduce GPS technology in about 3,500 buses.

According to sources the department could not even complete even half of the buses into VT&PIS system and the reasons attributed was the shortage of funds for taking up the project further.

According to a senior official, the Rs 130 crore worth project was taken up for providing information to the passengers. He said that VT&PIS technology was installed in around 1,006 JNNURM and 187 metro express/deluxe buses operated in and around Hyderabad.

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