Mysuru’s success drives others to follow it

MYSURU: 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, less than 10 minutes waiting time for passengers at bus depots and more.

The Intelligent Transport System (ITS) that Mysuru implemented in 2012 in its entire city bus fleet has brought the much needed efficiency and safety in public transport service those 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 that they can download.

Besides, all the 105 bus shelters in the city have LED boards that display real time information about the schedule of buses.

Commuters can also check the display board inside the bus for information.

“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), Mysuru City Transport Division.

A round the clock tracking of the bus fleet — fitted with GPS — at the central control station has also ensured that drivers do not indulge in rash driving.

It has helped in bringing down road fatalities from 15 in 2014-15 to eight in 2016 (till October).

It was only about six months back that the ITS has stabilised in the city. The ₹15 crore project is a collaboration between the Centre and the Global Environment Facility, an independently operating financial organisation that funds projects to improve the global environment.

Currently, only a handful of India cities, including Delhi and Ahmedabad, have launched ITS, but only partially.

“We have now introduced it in 1,739 buses across 37 cities in Karnataka. The real benefit from ITS will come when bigger cities such as Bengaluru and Delhi adopt it across their public transport fleet,” said Rajender K Kataria, former MD, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation.

AS PART OF THE ITS, COMMUTERS IS MYSURU CAN GET INFORMATION ABOUT ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE OF BUSES THROUGH SMS