DNA ( 20 Aug ) carries a
news report with following headline :
“ Now BEST to get smart with GPS , PIS on buses “
To ease the commute of travellers, the
BEST Undertaking has claimed that they will ensure that the Global
Positioning System (GPS) and Passenger Information System (PIS) is installed in its
buses within six months.
" We are sure that the GPS inside buses and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) at bus stops will be
available to the public within six months," said SK Bagde, General Manager, BEST Undertaking.
While welcoming this passenger-friendly initiative , I urge Shri Bagde , to
go for a COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION by implementing my following
suggestion ( emailed earlier on 15 Feb 2016 ) :
https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2016/02/public-transport-as-solution.html
https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2016/02/public-transport-as-solution.html
* Gradually change over to air conditioned
buses
* Do not allow standee passengers ( this will require adding many more
buses )
* Introduction of BRTS ( Bus Rapid Transit
System )
* Bus Arrival Time Indicators ( linked with GPS in all buses ) at all bus
stops
* A tablet type digital device fitted
behind each seat , where passenger to touch his
destination on route map displayed .
Passenger will also touch his smart phone to the device which will
transfer the fare
amount to the bus operator ,
through a mobile wallet .
No need
for a conductor - as practiced in many foreign countries !
This will tell the driver , at which stops , which passengers are
getting off and how
many seat/s are falling vacant
If bus is already FULL and no passenger
is getting off at the next bus stop, then driver
will not halt the bus , since he cannot
accommodate any standee passenger
If a passenger is supposed to get off at
, say XYZ stop , digital device will flash a
signal / ring a bell , a few minutes before
reaching the stop
The Bus Arrival Time Indicator , at the Bus-stop will also display the
" No of Vacant
Seats " in this bus
This ( No of Vacant Seats ) sign will also appear prominently on the bus
itself as it
pulls into the halt
It is equally easy to introduce such an integrated traffic management
system in Inter-
City buses as well
Entire intra-city bus traffic will be monitored and controlled from the
Central Traffic
Control Station of the city traffic
department , much in the same way ATC control air
traffic or railways control train
traffic
It is just a question of extending an
existing ( but slightly modified ) technology to
city traffic
As far as density
of traffic on various roads is concerned , mobile apps are already
available
Based on the situation , Central Traffic
Control will order additional buses to be
injected on any particular route , at any
given time
In some foreign countries , even
elevator systems in large office buildings are
designed to gauge :
* the number of persons waiting for
elevator at each floor ( and how many want to
go UP and how many want to go DOWN )
* the number of persons riding at any time
, within each elevator ( and their travel
intentions ) and adjust their stopping /
halting pattern accordingly, automatically
without human intervention !
Implementing such a system could not be a big problem for a country
which takes pride in calling itself ,
A SOFTWARE SUPER
POWER
Only thing lacking is political
will
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21
Aug 2017
www.hemenparekh.in
/ blogs
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