Maharashtra state transport buses get vehicle trackers and info system

Raote said that the systems will increase MSRTC’s passengers by 10-12%. “The system will be helpful for passengers. It will also make state transport staffs more disciplined,” said Raote.

The vehicle tracking system (VTS) was on Tuesday activated on 956 Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses that ply on Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik routes, including 115 air-conditioned Shivneri buses. A total of 23 locations including Dadar-based stand of Shivneri buses were installed with passenger information system (PIS).

According to MSRTC officials, it will take another six months to install VTS and PIS systems on all the buses in its fleet.(HT image)

On Tuesday, Diwakar Raote, state transport minister, launched the systems at the Mantralaya. More than 18,000 buses in MSRTC’s fleet will be soon installed with VTS and PIS. The ₹32-crore worth project will help passengers get real-time information of buses through the PIS. The VTS will allow MSRTC to get accurate information about the location of buses, route deviations, speed violations, unwanted halts, and breakdowns using global positioning system (GPS).

Raote said that the systems will increase MSRTC’s passengers by 10-12%. “The system will be helpful for passengers. It will also make state transport staffs more disciplined,” said Raote.

According to MSRTC officials, it will take another six months to install VTS and PIS systems on all the buses in its fleet. However, they will launch a mobile app in a month for getting real-time information about the arrival and departure of buses. The five-year contract for installing the systems has been given to a Gurgaon-based private company. A company executive said that they will have to conduct geo-mapping of around two lakh MSRTC stoppages across the state. As of now, they have conducted geo-mapping of around 50,000 stoppages.