UPSRTC hits the ground running with ATC-style nerve centre
Within days of getting functional, the UPSRTC Central Control and Command Centre — modelled much on the lines of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) — has sent a clear message to its staffers: Dispatch buses on the scheduled departure time and do not cross the prescribed speed limit. And those doing otherwise are being caught red-handed and getting warning or punishment.
Equipped with unique software, the 24x7 centre set up at the UP State Road Transport Corporation’s (UPSRTC) headquarters here keeps a watch on the location and movement of the buses in real time with a view to ensure their timely operation without compromising on safety.
Just like the ATC, the control centre, being described as the UPSRTC’s ‘nerve centre’, starts monitoring of a bus half-an-hour before its scheduled departure. It generates IVRS calls and send the same to the concerning assistant regional manager (ARM), alerting him in case a bus lacks preparedness for the dispatch. If he does not respond to the alert, he gets a direct call from the control room staff.
“If the electronic ticketing machine has not been issued to the conductor or the vehicle tracking system device installed in the bus is not functioning before half-anhour of its departure, a red light will show up below the concerning parameter on the video wall installed in the control room. As soon as the corrective step is taken, the red light gets converted into a green one,” explained UPSRTC general manager (IT) Vineet Seth.
He said the idea was to ensure that buses were dispatched strictly, as per their departure timing. As soon as a bus driver crosses the speed limit (75km/hour in case of Volvo buses, for example), the conductor gets a call immediately, asking him to tell the driver to slow down.
The control room also keeps a watch on the location of buses. And if any bus is found to have diverted its route or stopped at an unauthorised dhaba etc, it would be caught red-handed and the staff would be called to explain. Not only buses but even corporation officials could be tracked down with the help of ‘track my men’ software and in case of an emergency, an official found to be nearest the spot of the incident may be asked to rush to the place, he added. Abhiuday Mishra, an official associated with the Uptronics power, the private company that has set up the centre, said it would be possible in days to come to see what is happening inside the moving buses. This, he said, would deter the bus staff from misbehaving with the passengers.