MTC to update its smart mobility application for customers soon

MTC upgrades Chennai Bus app with e-ticketing, real-time tracking, and digital display boards for efficient public transportation.

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) is set to refresh the Chennai Bus application with an upgraded version with several features, including e-ticketing. Commuters using the present application, on the Android as well as iOS platforms, find it inconvenient at times as it suffers from software issues, though it provides the best route advisory.

MTC Managing Director Alby John Varghese says the Transport Department is set to bring out an upgraded version for helping the commuters know the arrival and departure of buses on various routes and also the best routes available for reaching their destinations.

As part of the modernisation, the MTC is adopting a holistic approach with a three-pronged strategy of computerised depot scheduling, relaying of bus data in the application in real time, and creating infrastructure at important bus stops for commuters to know the arrival and departure of the buses. Above all, the application will cover the eight State Transport Undertakings, he adds.

The MTC is also replacing the old Global Positioning System (GPS) installed on the buses with new high-quality GPS machines. Mr. Varghese says the Chennai Bus application was developed by Chalo App that had also installed the GPS. However, issues of accuracy cropped up owing to the GPS machines. Hence, the MTC is going in for a high-end version of the GPS. The new GPS machines will soon be installed on all 3,500 buses, Mr. Varghese adds.

The intelligent transport system comprises automatic vehicle location by onboard computers, driver consoles for two-way communication, vehicle location system by the high-end GPS, and incident management system.

The MTC will install the passenger information system, which is a digital display board connected to the main server of the tracking application, for displaying real-time arrival and departure of the buses. Besides the attendance management system and the staff mobile application, the MTC will install the depot management system software for efficient vehicle planning and scheduling and crew rostering. The staff mobile application will help to systematises the application of attendance and leave with the touch of a button.

The light emitting diode boards at the bus stops will inform the commuters of the estimated time of arrival and departure, the bus route numbers, destinations, and accident alerts. The MTC, which has more than 5,000 bus stops, plans to install these boards at 500 bus stops and 71 main terminals.