Passengers, who frequently use the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus service, will now be able to monitor and track 2,000 buses as they have been fitted with tracking systems to provide live updates.
The Vehicle Tracking and Monitoring System (VTMS), an internal bus-tracking facility, which was being tested by the KSRTC, has now been thrown open to the public. Commuters can now go to a dedicated website and track the location of their bus based on their trip code, PNR number or even the bus registration number.
At present in the beta-testing mode, the website will allow users to see exactly where their bus is, besides being able to view the last and the next stop, and the estimated time of arrival. The information can be viewed on a map, through a text box or with a map of the entire route.
Besides the tracking information, you can also check for live routes between two bus stops and also see arrivals and departures at various places across the State.
“The VTMS system was being tested. We now think we can make this information accessible to our customers. Phase 1 of the system includes 2,000 buses, which cover all our premium operations, long-distance routes and express routes,” said KSRTC Managing Director Rajender Kumar Kataria.
There is a facility to subscribe to SMS-based updates to deliver all the information listed on the website. However, it is yet to go live.
The corporation is also looking for feedback from users to improve the system. “There is a questionnaire that users can fill to alert us about bugs, or suggest services they would like to see here. We are printing details of the website on tickets to create awareness,” Mr. Kataria said.
The VTMS will work alongside the Intelligent Transport Solution (ITS) system that KSRTC has implemented for Mysuru city services, which includes an app. The usage of this app will then be evaluated to create another app for tracking the 2,000 buses.
“Based on feedback from the ITS app in Mysuru, we might organise an app-a-thon where we will open the system for developers to design apps,” Mr. Kataria added.
The highlights
Live tracking of bus based on trip code, PNR number and vehicle number
Live arrivals and departures at bus stations
Live routes with estimated time of arrival, last stop, next stop
Information in text/map
SMS-based alerts
Website: http://vtms.ksrtc.in/KSRTC-VTMS_new/index.jsp
