Soon, track government buses using GPS, check routes too

“Through the mobile app, a user will be able to see buses arriving and their routes. The app will present a fast and cheap option depending on the parameters chosen by the commuter,” a senior government official told DT Next. 

The app will be common for the entire state, based on the geography of the user like other location-based apps (LBS) such as Swiggy and Ola. “The user will also be able to plan trips based on the scheduled service or past travel time. The new app seeks to improve the user experience of the passengers and help commuters know the arrival of buses in real time. The service provider has to create a dedicated app and technology for the Transport Department and the project will be extended to all the eight transport corporations in the State,” the official said.

“Our priority will be the Metropolitan Transport Corporation in Chennai and then the State Express Transport Corporations connecting Chennai with other cities,” the official said. “We are confident that the new app will help us to compete with private cab services as a section of the public prefer cabs since they do not know the arrival timings of buses,” said another official with the Institute of Road Transport working on the IT project. 

There are 22,000 government buses in the State and the service provider will have to track these buses through GPS. The app and the supporting website will be bilingual and the user can inform their position to predefined contacts in an emergency. The commuters will be able to share routes and search results via social media for easier communication among groups or alerts.