LED displays, speakers on BEST buses in Mumbai to announce your next stop

The trial runs for PIS were held in November and December last year inside the BEST bus depots.

An LED display and speakers fitted on Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses — as part of the passenger information system (PIS) —will now inform you about your next stop. The system has been fitted in 2,809 buses, mostly on the Backbay-Wadala bus depot routes and in some parts of the western suburbs, under the Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS) project, which aims to make BEST buses smarter.

he system has been fitted in 2,809 buses, mostly on the Backbay-Wadala bus depot routes and in some parts of the western suburbs, under the Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS) project. (HT File)

The trial runs for PIS were held in November and December last year inside the BEST bus depots. “PIS is being tested among passengers and will also soon be available on buses across the city,” said Surendrakumar Bagde, general manager, BEST.

Although the ₹112-crore ITMS was approved by the BEST committee in March 2018 and was supposed to be introduced within nine months, it missed the deadline. The project, for which the civic body allocated ₹34 crore in its February 5 budget, will now be rolled out in phases.

BEST also plans to launch a mobile application under ITMS that would show the estimated time of arrival (ETA) of buses and the number of buses that would arrive at a particular depot in the next 10 minutes. This will be done by installing global positioning system (GPS) devices in the buses.

Currently, GPS is being installed in 2,470 buses at BEST depots such as Backbay, Wadala, Colaba, Dharavi and Mumbai Central. “Introduction of GPS devices at depots across the city is being undertaken. It will then be introduced on all BEST buses,” said Bagde.