The use of information technology in BRTS

To improve the quality of its transport services (BRTS – Bus Rapid Transit System) in Bhopal in commuters' information empowerment programme, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) should use technology. Delhi Metro stations have an electronic clock that indicates how long the desired Metro train will take to reach this station. In order to avoid the waiting time of the passengers at the bus stands of BRTS, a similar kind of facility, with the appropriate use of Technology, can be provided by BMC in Bhopal too for BRTS passengers who are waiting at the bus stand where a mobile app can be programmed. This Mobile App, using GPS and Google Maps Technology will be able to apprise the passenger as to how far a specific bus is from a specific station and how much time it will take to reach there. The user will use codes or names (in dropdown) for bus number, direction (up or down), and stations (to and from) and be able to retrieve the information. A simpler solution can be provided using mobile technology also where the conductor of the bus at each station will send an sms code that will simply forward these bits of information to some server for data processing, and system will continue to update the status of the bus on the route. This feature will also be available on the website of BRTS.

Sanjay Mohan Bhatnagar