BMTC to use radio-frequency equipment

By B. S. Ramesh

BANGALORE, JULY 26. The long and often frustrating wait for buses for commuters in the City may soon be a thing of the past if the experiment by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) proves successful.

The BMTC has become, perhaps, the first public sector transport organisation to introduce radio-frequency monitoring of buses. Aimed at improving punctuality, the experiment will be first tried out at one bus terminal and then extended to others.

The only cheap mode of transport in Bangalore, the BMTC transports nearly 25 lakh passengers, with 33,000 schedules everyday. With no alternative to road transport in sight, most residents of Bangalore are dependent on the BMTC.

In the first phase, the BMTC will equip 200 buses which operate from Bay 1 at the Subhasnagar Bus Station with radio-frequency equipment which will record their departure and arrival.

This will eliminate the need for traffic controllers to keep a manual check. Though there are nearly two dozen traffic controllers at bus station, the BMTC is finding it difficult to keep track of the departure of each bus.

With more than 8,000 schedules being operated everyday carrying at least 3 lakh passengers, traffic controllers have a hard time keeping tabs on arrivals and departures. This becomes all the more difficult during peak hours when hundreds of buses arrive and depart.

Pressed for time and hemmed in by bus crew and commuters alike, the traffic controllers make cursory entries and have little time to ensure that the buses leave on time.

Once radio-frequency sets are introduced, the BMTC feels that traffic control will become much easier as data regarding departure of buses will be available at the touch of a button.

Apart from helping in traffic control, the data can also help the BMTC generate information on the density of traffic and time taken for trips.

After analysing the data from the 200 buses in the first phase, BMTC plans to extend it to its entire fleet of 2,300 buses. There are also plans to extend the facility to other bus terminals in the City as well to integrate it with the GPS and GIS systems which have already been introduced by the BMTC.

If the radio-frequency experiment succeeds, the BMTC plans to link all the bus terminals in the City, apart from installing equipment to monitor the arrival and departure of buses at its central office off Kengal Hanumanthaiah Road.

BMTC sources said the new facility will reduce complaints of buses not leaving on time.

Incidentally, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has introduced a similar system to monitor buses plying between Bangalore and Mysore.

Major bus stations on the Bangalore-Mysore sector will be equipped with devices to monitor the arrival and departure of buses.

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