The Passenger Information System and Namma BMTC app were recently unveiled with fanfare to update commuters real time about bus services in the city. But regular users of the public transport utility are not very enthused. The reason: Most boards are non-functional and the app keeps crashing.
Karthik Reddy, a 30-year-old IT professional residing in Kalyan Nagar, east Bengaluru, took to X recently to report that the PIS board at Phoenix Mall bus stop was inoperative and he was finding it in that condition for the second time. “I used to observe the board frequently while waiting for a bus. But this time I wanted to see whether it was working or not,” Karthik, who frequently travels on BMTC buses from Kalyan Nagar to Whitefield, told TOI. He said the PIS is a promising initiative. “Opening Namma BMTC app and checking bus timings is way more tiring, but in PIS, you can just stand at the bus stop and check the boards and plan your trips. It’s sad that the boards aren’t working,” he rued.
PIS boards were designed to provide vital bus information, including route numbers and estimated arrival times. The boards have been installed at about 500 of 2,500 bus stands in the city.
IT professional Akhila Ananth, 24, who travels regularly from Marathahalli to Kadubeesanahalli, said: “BMTC authorities should ensure these boards are in a working condition. People who don’t know the local language and are not in a position to ask others will benefit from this system. Majestic bus stand has everything related to buses. It would be very useful for us if other stops also have such information.”
When TOI checked at a few bus stands, it was found that at many places, banners and boards providing information to passengers about buses that arrive there were broken and torn. BMTC passengers relying on Namma BMTC app have also been complaining of facing functionality issues.
Yathish Kumar, a BMTC bus user, said: “These days, the app is crashing regularly and the server is also going down frequently. When the app is not working properly, the PIS boards could be really helpful. I travel from Chandapura to Bommanahalli but at most of the stops en route, PIS boards haven’t been installed. I use the app to know when buses are too crowded and the timings of the next bus. Since the app is crashing these days, I just wait in the hope that the next bus will come sooner.”
Asked why PIS boards are not functioning, BMTC officials said: “So far, GPS has been placed in 5,500 buses and mapping is under process. Besides, we are yet to get power supply connections for many of the boards. We will complete the connections as fast as we can. No deadline has been set so far.” The officials did not respond to queries on the repeated crashing of Namma BMTC app.
