Page 24 - TT mag April 2024 Digital Edition

PUBLIC TRANSPORT
BMTC IS MAKING GREAT
EFFORTS TO IMPLEMENT
THE NATIONAL COMMON
MOBILITY CARD (NCMC)
PROJECT UNDER
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
FROM MORTH. HOWEVER,
THE LARGE POPULATION
AND UNPREDICTABLE
TRAFFIC IN BENGALURU
IS COMPELLING
BMTC TO EXPLORE
THE POSSIBILITY OF
INCORPORATING OTHER
ADVANCED FEATURES IN
BUSES.
– R Ramachandran (IAS)
24 TRAFFICINFRATECH / April 2024 / www.trafficinfratech.com
numbers and destinations from a In BMTC, 90% of the buses
distance of under 100mtrs, also have vehicle tracking units, panic
incorporated voice announcement button, bus surveillance system
systems, surveillance cameras, GPS and ETMs, added Ramachandran.
for tracking and panic buttons in However, all the electric buses have
buses. “CAN or Controller Area the ITS components. Automatic
Network interface is a vehicle Passenger counters and Automatic
bus standard designed to allow Fare Collections Systems (AFCS)
microcontrollers and devices to though, are yet to be implemented.
communicate with each other BMTC also has a mobile app with
and Masstrans is able to provide women-safety features. An SOS
vehicle health parameters to bus option helps commuters send an
manufacturers using this interface”, alert to the Sarathi patrol as well
said Vinay Jain, Managing Director as family members during distress
– MassTrans Technologiis Pvt. Ltd. or an emergency.
For intercity buses, Masstrans has Vinayak Bhavnani, Co-Founder
introduced ADAS and VSL cameras
that raise alerts to the backend if and CTO – Chalo Mobility however
the driver is not concentrating on felt technology penetration
currently has been very low in
the road or is distracted. People public transport buses. Though the
counters for all EV intra-city buses
have been made mandatory by the intercity bus segment fares better
government and Jain explained in terms of technology adoption,
and as a result, offers better
that the moment bus doors open, experience, both the segments
cameras start counting the number
of people exiting and entering still have a huge opportunity to
the bus. This helps the revenue make services passenger-friendly
department know how many and run buses effectively. To make
them reliable, bus availability
tickets have been sold. Intercity
buses have an alcohol-detection information needs to be more
system into which the driver blows, accessible. Live tracking systems
and only if he is declared clean by compensate for missing visibility
and this empowers commuters to
the system will he be able to start
the bus, he added. use buses more efficiently, he said.