RTC should do more with Gamyam bus live-tracking app

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Bus users have pointed out that the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation’s (TGSRTC) bus tracking app, Gamyam, has not been as effective as they had hoped, with concerns over live tracking, route information and the punctuality of services.

Sharing his experience, Prithvi Raj, a student and bus user, said there had been some occasions when he was unable to track in real time the bus he intended to board .

“RTC should ensure that Gamyam should not be limited to displaying bus locations. Data should be used to monitor whether buses are adhering to timetables, identify consistently delayed services, and improve punctuality. Another concern is that some buses are skipping designated bus stops and operating like express services instead of ordinary services. Such behaviour should be monitored through the app, and action should be taken,” he said.

The concerns come even as the TGSRTC has sanctioned ₹19.21 crore for the vehicle tracking and passenger information system, according to a response to a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by Kareem Ansari through the portal YOURTI.in.

According to the letter of award, the negotiated rate for the vehicle tracking and passenger information system is ₹375 per bus per month, excluding GST.

The rollout initially covered 4,170 buses and was subsequently extended. The corporation listed a total of 9,320 vehicles till March.

Transport researchers familiar with the system said the TGSRTC needed to ensure that route information was updated promptly to improve the app’s effectiveness. The corporation should inform the vendor of new routes on the day operations commence and ensure that these are reflected in the app, they added. Routes that are no longer operational should also be removed.

“The corporation should ensure that buses are mapped to the correct schedules before they leave the depot. Often, some buses are shown on a particular route but are operating on a different route,” a transport expert told The Hindu.

The expert also pointed out that route codes should be distinct even when a service terminates short of its usual destination or is extended by just one stop.

“For example, 195W terminating at JNTU cannot be coded as 195W. It should be coded as 195J,” he said.

Apart from improving the accuracy of route information, users said the app could be made more useful by introducing features to help passengers plan journeys involving transfers between buses.

“The app does not allow filtering by route direction when searching by route. Both directions are displayed simultaneously, which confuses passengers,” said Md. Shoaib, a media professional.

Telangana / road transport / public transport