The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is set to install global positioning systems (GPS) and passenger information systems (PIS) in all its buses so that passengers can track and find the location of a running bus at any given point of time.

“The project will be implemented by the end of 2013 and corporation would be fully computerized by 2015. Forty-seven companies have responded to our call for expression of interest (EoI) for the GPS-PIS system. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Thiruvananthapuram, has agreed to provide consultancy service and assistance in tender procedures as well as ensuring quality of the GPS-PIS system. A formal agreement with them will be signed in a few days,” said a senior KSRTC officer.

Like the railways, the KSRTC also plans to install monitors at bus stations, which would provide the location of moving buses, their speed, details of buses running late, expected time of their arrival at a particular station, etc.

At the same time, sitting in the control room, the corporation can monitor the real-time information on ticket sales, fleet monitoring, rush in a particular route and bus, real-time information on vehicle fuel management, bunching of buses, etc. Also, the board can have two-way communication with bus driver apart from tracking the driver habit and his driving skills.

The GPS will be installed in a phased manner and support infrastructure will be set up at all 87 KSRTC depots. A central control room will monitor the system from Thiruvananthapuram.

According to the officer, the EoI projects the system as a revenue-earning model (cost of equipment, installation, implementation and maintenance shall be undertaken by the vendor, who will be allowed to collect and publish commercial advertisements inside the bus and at depot premises) or in the normal purchase basis.

“All the 47 firms that have responded have the required technical, professional, financial and organizational capability. A scrutiny will be made at the earliest and the corporation chairman and managing director will decide on one firm as per the norms,” officer said.

With the introduction of another futuristic project, electronic ticket machines (ETMs), which can give information about vacant seats in a running bus, the KSRTC is all set to provide hassle-free journey to the passengers, claimed the officer.

As per the ETM facility, if a person takes a ticket, that information will be instantly sent to our central server from the ETM and we will come to know about the fare, stage, time, etc, immediately. If the bus has any vacant seat, it will be shown on our website that already has the option to purchase tickets online.

Source: Times Of India

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