Using ITS to make bus travel reliable

KSRTC is in the process of implementing an Intelligent Transport System to track its vehicles in real time.

"I never board KSRTC buses for city travel when I go to Mysore during weekends," said Shamseer Kareem, a software engineer.

This comment on the state bus transport entity is the view of millions who use public transport for daily commuting. The reasons include unreliability, lack of punctuality and untrustworthiness. The efforts of transport corporations to shift people from private transport to public systems invariably ends in failure.

Now comes a serious effort at change. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which operates city bus services in Mysore, is planning a new commuter-oriented system. Come July and more than 100 bus stops in Mysore will have an electronic display of timings, routes and locations of the vehicles.

KSRTC is in the process of implementing an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) to track its vehicles in real time. The project is part of the Union government's and the World Bank's Sustainable Urban Transport Project for various cities in India. The ITS, estimated to cost Rs 21 crore, is being implemented by CMC, a Tata Group company.

"When we expressed interest in such a project, our primary goal was to bring people to the public transport system. We want to make travel more comfortable for daily commuters and reduce use of private transport systems by increasing (our) efficiency," said Gaurav Gupta, managing director of KSRTC.

The movement of city transport buses will be tracked using technologies like the Global Positioning System (GPS) and provide real time information on arrivals for waiting passengers. The tracking facility would be installed on 500 buses plying in Mysore, at 105 bus stops and six bus terminals.

With the ITS, passengers at a stop would know the time the bus would arrive and the time duration between each vehicle. KSRTC would be able to track the 500 buses from a central control set up by CMC.

Also, the installed device would give drivers an indication of transport conditions, traffic congestion and how many buses would be coming at the same time.

"Sometimes, no buses will come when you wait at a bus stop and at times three come together. Based on the public dissemination and feedback, this bus clustering is another problem which people suffer. The intelligent system will help a driver understand these problems and make a decision accordingly," Gupta added.

Another hi-tech means included in the ITS is a web monitoring and SMS system. Any passenger can log to the site to track a bus and schedule his or her travel. A commuter can even key in the bus route number and send an SMS to the system and get the bus timing and schedule via SMS.

"The ITS system is of national importance and the first of its kind in India. The system will help commuters take informed decisions about travel. This will also help in safety improvement, reduce uncertainty and traffic congestion," said Karthi Madhavan, head of regional sales and delivery for CMC.