Subscribe

0

Advertisment
Features

Right on Track

author-image
DQI Bureau
New Update

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC),
which has been one of the very few transport corporations in India to make
continuous profit for seven years, now plans to invest Rs 90 crore over a
five-year period in a comprehensive passenger management system. When done, the
system will allow commuters to be updated about bus movements, much like the
arrival, departure and delay information displayed on an electronic railway
board at platforms.

Advertisment
The
cost imperative-what BMTC will derive from GPS technology

Schedule Adherence

The trip related reports for every bus will enable BMTC to establish
as well as inculcate schedule discipline, which in turn will result in the
following advantages:

  • Better time management,
    resulting in effective utilization of the available fleet, attributing
    better revenue per bus

  • Effective crew timetable
    avoiding unnecessary overtime and extra duty charges

  • Pick-up and drop
    punctuality attracting more people to travel by BMTC buses,
    attributing more trip revenue

Control over Deviations

Route deviation, stoppage deviation, non stoppages at scheduled stops
etc. will be eliminated, resulting in:

  • Savings in fuel cost

  • Control over private
    operator buses

Traffic Load Analysis

The online and offline reports facilitate an overview of the position
of every bus, allowing BMTC to review the deployment and itinerary
strategy. This will result in:

  • Reschedule of timetable
    for a proper load balancing so that maximum buses move through the
    area of pick passenger traffic for getting maximum adavantages of
    revenue

  • Analysis of traffic jam
    situation, helping in rescheduling of bus timings to save fuel and
    trip time

Driving Pattern Analysis

Speed violation, extra stoppage time etc. type of report will help
BMTC in studying the driving patterns and behaviors of drivers

Billing Support

A mechanism can be devised at fuel filling station, which can be
linked with every bus data. BMTC will thus be able to calculate actual
KMPL-Kilometer per Liter using the distance traveled between successive
fuel filling.

he Passenger Information System or PIS, as it is being
called, though can only be implemented if the online GPS-based tracking and
communication solution, which BMTC currently uses in about 1,200 buses, are
deployed in every bus (it currently has a fleet of about 4,000).

The online GPS data helps it track vehicles every 10 seconds.
Once the position of a particular bus is located, the control room can compute
its expected time of arrival at the next bus stop. "Therefore, we would
display the bus arrival timing. Commuters can accordingly plan. This way, we
would be able to value our customer's time," the chief manager, MIS and
Systems of BMTC (the CIO), DC Prakash says.

Advertisment

Besides time management, the system in future might also help
in the introduction of alternative e-ticketing systems — BMTC, for example,
has taken a cue from advanced countries where a self-issuing ticketing machine
allows one to swipe credit or debit cards for a ticket.

The other function, proposed to be linked with the online
GPS, is an Interactive Voice Response System. Just like people get responses
from pre-recorded information in the railways or at banks, BMTC will also
respond when information is sought over the phone on bus information, stop
information, availability etc.

The proposals have been sent to the government and a tender
would be floated soon after being okayed.

Advertisment

Two companies currently provide GPS service to BMTC - Arya
Omni Talk Limited and MobiApps - while Mobi has a contract for 700 buses on BOOT
basis, Arya is providing the service for 500 vehicles. The solutions sought from
both the vendors are the same. Only the terms are different. "We pay
Rs.1,102 per vehicle as service charges to Arya per month. In turn, they provide
us with information pertaining to the vehicles it has provided tracking
solutions for every day. MobiApps, on the other hand, pays us an average money
of Rs 525 per vehicle per month. In return, they have been given an opportunity
to utilize the internal advertisement space in buses for mobilizing
revenue," Prakash informs.

Goutam Das

Advertisment