Mysuru’s success drives others to follow it

SYSTEM HAS ENSURED THAT BUS DRIVERS DO NOT INDULGE IN RASH DRIVING. FATALITIES HA S COME DOWN FROM 15 IN 201415 TO 8 IN 2016

An almost 50% dip in fatal accidents, reduced number of personal vehicles on roads, punctuality rate of over 90% in the operation of state-run buses, lesser waiting time for passengers at depots — thanks to the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) implemented in Mysuru.

The system launched in 2012 in its city bus fleet has brought efficiency in public transport service that other cities could emulate. States such as Rajasthan and Kerala have taken the lead and plan to replicate the model in their respective cities.

As part of the ITS, commuters in Mysuru can get information about arrival and departure time of buses, the route it will take and stoppage time on a real time basis through SMS and an app called MITRA. Besides, all the 105 bus shelters in the city have LED board that display real time information about the schedule of buses.

“The punctuality of buses leaving depot has improved from 19% in 2013 to 91% in 2016,” said Dr K Rama Murthy, divisional controller and project manager (ITS), Mysore City Transport Division.

A round-the-clock tracking of the bus fleet -- fitted with GPS -has also ensured that drivers do not indulge in rash driving. It has helped in bringing down fatalities from 15 in 2014-15 to 8 in 2016.

The ₹15 crore project is a collaboration between the Centre and the Global Environment Facility that funds projects to improve the global environment.

Currently only a few cities, including Delhi and Ahmedabad, have launched ITS, but only partially. “We have introduced it in 1,739 buses across 37 cities in Karnataka. The real benefit will come when the bigger cities adopt it,” said Rajender K Kataria, ex-MD, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation.