BMTC plans to come out with smart cards

BMTC plans to come out with smart cards

The Hindu

The corporation will initially introduce these cards for student passes

# Smart cards are part of the proposed automated fare collection system
# A committee is giving final touches to the technical specifications of the system
# Smart card users have to pay the corporation in advance and get their cards recharged

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is working on introducing smart cards compatible with other modes of public transport which the city may have in the coming days.

Smart cards are a part of the proposed automated fare collection system.

To begin with, the corporation would shortly introduce smart cards for student passes and extend it gradually for monthly passes and day passes. Passengers travelling by purchasing tickets would be targeted at the last stage.

A specialised committee at the government level is giving final touches to the technical specifications of the system, including the size and capacity of the smart cards. "If everything goes on as planned, something tangible should happen within a year," BMTC Director (Security and Vigilance) P.S. Sandhu told The Hindu.

According to him, Smart card users have to pay the corporation in advance and get their cards recharged. The buses would be equipped with smart card authentication machines. Once the commuter authenticates his card and enters the destination code, the specified fare would get deducted from his card. If he has run out of credit amount in his card, the commuter can recharge the card by making payment to the conductor/driver in the bus itself.

Stating that public transport concerns in western countries had successfully been using multi-modal automated fare collection system, Mr. Sandhu noted that Bangalore deserved to have one.

The corporation was looking at Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) that can provide Real-time Passenger Information (RPIS), as major tools to introduce the new set-up, he pointed out.

Mr. Sandhu said the system would be an open-end solution that could integrate itself with any future changes in public transport system, including the proposed metro and monorail systems in the city. In essence, it would be a multi-modal transport card. The smart cards, he said, would last for at least 10 years. At the same time, the corporation was keen on not overburdening customers with heavy cost, especially the students, he noted.

Tickets would continue to be issued as all commuters would not like to purchase passes. Ticket and day pass vending machines would be installed at bus stations and wayside shelters. The role of RPIS, enabled by online GPS and GIS, was significant here as commuters could purchase tickets/ daily passes on being alerted on the arrival/departure of the bus at the bus station/bus shelter.

He noted that real-time GPS and GIS would not only offer RPIS, but also enable the corporation to get information online regarding traffic revenue collection and volume of traffic. The corporation would be able to run alternative services and additional services in cases of non-arrival of buses due to traffic jams and in cases of heavy rush, he added.