BMTC in Partnership with Google India Rolls Out the First Bus service on Google Transit in India

IT capital of India, Bengaluru has made significant strides in its transportation infrastructure with the efficient use of IT as a tool. In a recent partnership with Google India, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation has rolled out the first bus service on Google Transit in India providing bus schedules and routes of Vajra, Vayu Vajra and other 10 major buses plying across Bengaluru over desktop/laptops and mobile (GPRS-enabled). As per the tie-up, Google Transit will provide quick and easy access of the service putting an end to the struggle for finding information about buses across various locations in Bengaluru. It will include details of the timings of various buses, benefiting more than 4.2 mn commuters who use these buses on a daily basis.

According the Syed Zameer Paasha, MD, BMTC, This intitiative will be useful for several people who use BMTC buses for their daily commute. The collaboration with Google is another step in this direction to make it easier for the public to plan their trips with transit information on Google Maps. We are proud to be the first bus service to provide this kind of service on Google Maps to its commuters.

Manik Gupta, head of maps and local products, Google India says, Google Transits goal is to make public transport information easily accessible and useful, and we are delighted to extend our transit offering to include buses. We have focused on offering the users an easy way to get all the information they need to plan their trips as per their convenience. Commuters can get all kinds of information like bus frequency, route, and travel duration.

A Trip Planner

Interestingly, few months back, BMTC also launched Internet services in its Vayu Vajra (Volvo) buses plying to the airport from the city. BMTCs Vayu Vajra Volvo buses equipped with touch enabled LCD screens are mounted on the back of each seats for comfortable web browsing on-the-go. This is said to be the first venture of its kind in India. Besides browsing the Internet, computer software packages enable passengers to easily keep track of flight information and even book tickets during their travel.

Google Transit is a trip planner that is easily accessible on Google Maps. In India, Google Maps also provides information regarding routes, fare, schedules and duration of the Delhi Metro. Google is partnering with several agencies to make Google Transit available across all major cities and towns in India. Now that Bengaluru has become a front runner in IT implementation for its transportation services, its next step would be to control the traffic situation in the city. IT can play a pivotal role in addressing this situation.

PC Suraj
surajp@cybermedia.co.in