No more route confusion

No more route confusion
BMTC Displays Customised Maps At Three Bus Stations
The Times of India

Bangalore: You don’t have to ask around or wait for conductors at the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus stations to find out the bus routes.

The BMTC has displayed customised route maps in three stations — Kempegowda, Shivajinagar and Shanthi Nagar — based on Global Information System (GIS) for the benefit of its commuters. The map details the route of all the buses that leave or pass the station. The facility, officials say, will be extended to 10 more bus stations across the city. The idea stemmed from the official trip which Chief Traffic Manager K S Viswanath had taken to Europe along with the BMTC MD Upendra Tripathy. “We found similar maps displayed at various bus-stations there. We realised that commuters here were finding it difficult to reach their destination without proper guidance. We planned to implement it in Bangalore taking local needs into consideration.’’

The corporation now boasts of being the first in India to have such maps. Commuters have welcomed the initiative, and the World Bank team that visited the station told officials that they were impressed.

The map is displayed in both Kannada and English and covers routes including suburban areas and bus terminuses. It details the city’s topography including roads and areas along with respective route numbers.

“Surveys conducted for the BMTC by a private firm showed that commuters were prepared to take public transport, giving up their personal transport, if a proper system is evolved where the commuter is able to know the exact distance of his destination and change-over route,” says Ravi Kumar M R, MD, Integra Systems & Services, who designed the maps.

ABOUT THE MAPS

* These 10x15 ft maps are bi-lingual (Kannada and English). Gives complete geography of Bangalore.
* Customised for each bus terminus. * Respective route numbers are marked near arrival bus stations.
* Proposed bus-stops where these maps will be installed are RPC Layout, Nandini Layout, Domlur, Jeevanbhima Nagar, Chandra Layout, Banashankari, Yelahanka Satellite Town, Basaveswaranagar, BTM Layout, Kumaraswamy Layout and Malleswaram 18th Cross.