Mysore, July 17 (JP)- Will I get a bus now ? How long will I have to wait ? At which stop will I get a connecting bus ? Will there be a seat for me on the bus ? Is the bus arriving at my stop an AC or non-AC ? What is the fare ? What route will this bus take ? Will I know the time of arrival of my stop ?
All this will be a thing of the past when KSRTC introduces the Intelligent Transport System by August next year. The Intelligent Transport System is based on Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled navigation systems. Each of the buses on different routes will be continuously tracked by a Central Control Station. Passenger Information system will be displayed on LCD screens in the buses, at bus stops and the bus terminals. They will inform the passenger of the expected time of arrival of the buses, where it is headed and the route it is going to take. In short the commuter, whether in the bus, the bus stop or the bus station will know to the minute when his or her bus is due to arrive, whether it is full and when the next bus is due etc.
Gaurav Gupta, Managing Director, KSRTC, speaking to SOM said that the technical consultancy part of the work has been completed and added, ‘now the tendering process has begun. It will take another two months for the tender process to be completed. I expect the work to be completed by early next year.”
When SOM asked whether at least August 15 can be the Liberation Day for the bus commuters of the city, Gupta laughed and said that it may well be. "In fact I expect the new system to be in place by then."
From sources at eGestalt Technologies, the project consultants, the Intelligent Transport System will be coordinated by a Central Control Station that will track the buses which will have vehicle mounted Global Positioning Systems and there will be a constant two-way communication with the driver.
Sources said passenger information system will also be available on the internet. This project will initially cover 185 out of 500 Buses, 80 out of 484 Bus Stops and six Bus Terminals in the City.
Currently, KSRTC operates about 4,217 trips in Mysore through 282 schedules from two depots on 185 routes. It has a fleet strength of 258 resulting in 1.79 lakh passenger trips per day. Mysore has been chosen for this pilot project since it has a high growth rate in traffic density and because it is a medium sized city that has a projected 70 per cent increase in land use profile. The project consultants, eGestalt Technology, head-quartered in Santa Clara (USA) and Bangalore say that a survey conducted by them revealed that almost 89% of the sample population was willing to shift to public transport provided KSRTC operates reliable services through the introduction of ITS.
The KSRTC MD said he hoped that the new people-friendly bus service will "woo a significant population of the self-driven vehicle owner segment to move to a public transport system that will be attractive, convenient, and comfortable, supported by real-time information enroute and help contribute to reducing the road congestion."
List of Bus Stops where Display units will be located
Sl. No. Bus Stop Sl. No. Bus Stop
1 Abhishek Circle, Hebbal 21 Maruthi Temple
2 Akshay Bhandar 22 Vijayanagar
3 Alanahalli 23 Maruthi Tent
4 B.E.M.L. Nagar – 2 Nos. 24 MUDA Choultry
5 Ballal Circle 25 N.R. Mohalla Complex
6 Gangotri Layout 26 R.S. Naidunagar
7 Goblimara 27 Rajendranagar
8 Gurur 28 Ramakrishnanagar Circle
9 Hampi Circle 29 S.J.C.E. College
10 Hanumanthanagar 30 Sankranthi Circle
11 J.P. Nagar – 2 nos. 31 Saraswathipuram 14th Main
12 J.S.S. Polytechnic 32 Saraswathipuram 1st Main
13 Jockey Quarters 33 Sharadadevinagar – 2 nos.
14 K.G. Koppal 34 Srirampura 2nd Stage
15 Kalyanagirinagar 35 Surya Bakery
16 Kamakshi Hospital 36 Vidyaranyapuram
17 Krishnadevaraya Circle 37 Vivekananda Nagar
18 Kumbarakoppalu 38 Akshay Bandar
19 Kuvempunagar Complex 39 Ramakrishnanagar ‘G’ Block
20 Manchegowdanakoppalu 40 Andolana Circle
Total 40 nos. x 2 = 80 locations.
Courtesy : Star Of Mysore