Mysore to have India's first intelligent transport system

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation's (KSRTC) new initiative will make Mysore the first city in the country to have an intelligent transport system (ITS) for public transport, which will allow commuters  to have real time information access of bus travel and will also facilitate effective monitoring of their movement. The project is being planned on a pilot basis to present a model/case study to other cities in the country to follow.

The project is expected to be completed in 14 months from the date of awarding the contract and is estimated to cover 500 buses, 105 bus stops, six bus terminals and 45 platforms in the city. Currently, KSRTC in Mysore caters to a population of over 2.2 million. The project will be funded by World Bank's global environment fund (GEF), besides the Union and the state government's contribution and the remaining share through internal accruals.

Mysore city was selected for the scope of opportunity; the city offers to change the traditional ground transportation scenario to a fully automated and ITS network, as per a senior KSRTC official. The city caters to an estimated 5.7 lakh passenger trips daily within the urban limits, with home-based trips including to and fro movement constituting nearly 50 per cent, followed by home-to-work at 23.2 per cent and home to educational institutions at 19.5 per cent.

The official, further added  that the core components of the ITS would be the automatic vehicle location information systems (AVL-IS), passenger information system, covering information display signages in vehicle, at bus stops, bus stations, and central control station (CCS). "For early implementation, we are scouting for project management consultants to assist with ITS implementation and also for monitoring. We have invited tenders recently the full value will be know when we open the bids later this month," he added.

Highlighting the benefits of introducing this new venture - ITS, the official said, "it reduces waiting time and uncertainty, increase the accessibility of the system, increase the safety of users, reduce the fuel consumption and emissions, reduce the operational costs, improve traffic efficiency, reduce traffic congestion, improve environmental quality and energy efficiency and improve economic productivity."