Blog: Congratulations, Shri Lokesh Chandraji

Thursday, 24 June 2021

Congratulations, Shri Lokesh Chandraji

( General Manager – BEST – Mumbai / gm@bestundertaking.com / Tel - 91-22- 22873961 / 22873962)

WHAT FOR ?

For implementing ( though partially ) my 5 YEAR old suggestions in following earlier e-mail :

Ø PUBLIC TRANSPORT AS A SOLUTION ? ………………[ 15 Feb 2016 ]

I hope, BEST will become a BENCH-MARK for the city-transport systems all over the country by implementing the rest of my suggestions

With regards,

Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 25 June 2021

Extract from above-mentioned blog / e-mail :

SUGGESTIONS :

* 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

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 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

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IMPLEMENTATION ( as reported in today’s News Paper ) :

Coming soon: LED indicators with ‘ETA of buses’ at 400 stops / TNN / 25 June 2021

Extract :

Ø BEST announced on Thursday it has begun work to install LED indicators to provide the Expected Time of Arrival ( ETA ), of buses at 400 bus stops across the island city and the suburbs

Ø “ We have already started work on LED indicators at bus stops in South Mumbai , starting with Mantralaya and also Afghan Church and Navy Nagar “ , said BEST General Manager, Lokesh Chandra.

Ø He said this was part of the Passenger Information System ( PIS ) project being funded by BMC.

Ø Under PIS, BEST will provide commuters with an App- which it launched some months ago ( miBEST ) – to check for the next arriving bus at the stop. “ If there is an indicator, we don’t mind waiting for the second bus “ said a woman commutator who works in a bank

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