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Chandigarh: CTU buses go secure, smart on tricity routes
Chandigarh Transport Undertaking’s ambitious intelligent transport system for its buses running on the tricity routes became operational for the 358-strong fleet on Wednesday
The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking’s ambitious intelligent transport system for its buses running on the tricity routes became operational for the 358-strong fleet on Wednesday.
In comes a year after a trial run was conducted with 100 buses on 14 routes in August last year.
UT administrator VP Singh Badnore on Wednesday launched the state-of-the-art command and control centre (CCC) and smart cards under the intelligent transport system (ITS) project. The CCC, which is housed at the Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Sector 43, will monitor the city bus operations in real time.
The ITS project also comprises automatic vehicle location system and passenger information system, automatic fare collection system and depot management system. A part of the ministry of housing and urban affairs’ project for efficient and sustainable city bus service, it is partially funded by the World Bank.
How it will help commuters
Commuters will be able to live track buses. The expected time of arrival/departure will be displayed on screens installed at the ISBTs in Sectors 17 and 43, railway station and 37 bus queue shelters besides being made available on a mobile app (trycityBus). Users will also be able to use a journey planner feature on the app. A grievance redressal management system is also inbuilt in the app.
A slew of security features have been introduced in the buses. There will be four cameras inside each bus to monitor the behaviour of the crew and passengers. At a time, the central command and control centre can live monitor 24 buses through these cameras. For additional security of passengers, particularly women, a panic button is available. Even drivers can have a direct line of communication with the control room.
Smart cards will be available for e-ticketing as well as concessional travel. Commuters can recharge their smart cards from customer service points at the two ISBTs and e-sampark centres or through the app or web portal (ctuportal.amnex.com). Initially, 10,000 smart cards will be issued for free, and only printing charges will be taken. Thereafter, ₹100 will be levied for a smart card. The minimum recharge will be of ₹100 with a cap at ₹5,000.
How it will benefit CTU
For CTU, the system will help in tracking the number of buses scheduled out of the total buses at the depot, number of buses enroute and Idle, number of routes/trips in operation, bus and crew allocation, whether buses are sticking to the schedule and realtime cash collection.
It will also help in reducing cash handling and revenue leakage with the use of smart cards.
“In case a bus is late or not sticking to a designated route, or if it jumps a light or speeds, the ITS will alert the officials concerned so that immediate corrective measures can be taken. In the long run, it will allow the department to rationalise bus routes in line with passenger traffic,” said a CTU official.
