Puducherry to launch Intelligent Transport System for PRTC buses

PRTC to implement Intelligent Transport Systems for real-time bus tracking, electronic ticketing, and passenger convenience in Puducherry.

The government-owned Puducherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) will soon be able to track the real time position of its fleet of buses across the Union Territory with the territorial administration kicking off the project for installation of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).

The estimated cost of the project is ₹9.05 crore. Of this, 70% will be funded by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and 30% by the Puducherry government. The Transport Department is expected to issue the Request for Proposal for the implementation of the project by the end of this month.

Officials said the project would improve city public transportation, including 100 PRTC buses that would be fitted with GPS. Bus shelters at over 15 locations will have a bus information system and this project will be implemented in a year.

According to a Transport Department official, “At present most of the applications that are being used by PRTC for auditing of ticket books and manual ticketing are outdated. As a result, the Corporation has been finding it difficult to cope with the latest technologies in terms of integration with other systems.”

The project is divided into three modules - vehicle tracking, public information and electronic ticketing. PRTC aims to automate the complete ticketing and fare collection system, provide various passenger friendly ways to buy tickets and avail reliable transport services. The idea is to plug revenue leaks with the electronic ticketing method and to enhance passenger comfort.

Officials said the ITS is aimed at streamlining operations and improving reliability of bus services. Passengers would be able to view the scheduled arrival and departure of buses in real time. Ticket booking will be integrated with various mode of payments, including card based and QR code for cashless transactions. This will be advantageous for both passengers and bus crew members.

ITS will also offer significant benefits to PRTC including crew details and attendance updates, parking in unauthorised spots, leaving the depot at the wrong time and deviating from their routes, accident details, trip-wise operations/revenue details, fuel management and vehicle maintenance details.