Arriving soon: digital info at bus shelters

Arriving soon: digital info at bus shelters
R Krishnakumar | TNN

Bangalore: When’s your next bus? The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) might soon flash the answer, right in your neighbourhood bus shelter. The BMTC is set to implement the long-in-the-wait passenger information system (PIS) in select bus shelters in the city. Planned as a pilot project, PIS will be put to use in 80 bus shelters en route the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), covering the nine BMTC routes to the airport. In the subsequent phases, the BMTC plans to extend the system across all its city services.
The BMTC has issued tenders on PIS and the project implementation has been assigned to KELTRON India Limited. With the implementation of PIS, that displays real-time information on bus arrival/departure schedules at the shelters, the BMTC looks at enhancing the passenger experience and ensuring greater citizen endorsement of public transport. The PIS is supported by the global positioning system (GPS).
“We will soon begin work on the system. Talks are on with the BBMP on fixing the display units at the bus shelters and on the supply of power required for the units,’’ Dastagir Sharief, chief traffic manager, BMTC, told The Times Of India. The BMTC doesn’t spend on the project and evens it out by offering advertising rights for the technology partners on the LCD panels. The pilot project will help the BMTC iron out issues before it sets out to implement PIS in its city services.
According to Channabasappa, controller of stores and purchases, BMTC, the LCD panels displaying the information will be purchased by the end of July. The fitting of the GPS units is expected to begin in August. The LCD panels are tipped to be installed at the bus shelters by December this year. The BMTC is planning to extend the system’s reach into the buses as well by flashing information on the flight schedules at BIA. The corporation is in talks with BIAL over provision of access to the schedules.
The PIS plan had started doing the rounds a couple of years ago with the system planned on five Volvo routes. The plan, though, never took off.
INFO AT HAND
With the GPS in place, PIS traces the movement and location of buses plying on different routes. A control room collects signals of the movement, processes the information and makes predictions on the possible arrival/departure of Volvo and other services to the airport. These predictions are flashed on the panel at the shelter that’s linked to the control room.