When disability rights activists asked Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses to buy only low-floor buses in future tenders, the government said it was not possible due to financial constraints and practical difficulties.
Despite a Madras high court order, the tenders to buy 442 new low-floor buses, which are accessible to all, are still pending. But now, MTC has started exploring the possibility of introducing ‘On Board’ Intelligent Transport System (ITS), enabling visually-impaired passengers to board buses independently.
On Board, developed by IIT Delhi, is a user-controlled radiofrequency (RF) based system consisting of three separate units: A user module (in the size of the TV remote) with two buttons, a programming and diagnostic unit, and a bus unit with a controller and speaker.
Once the user presses the ‘query’ button on the module, the RF query is sent to all nearby buses, and they get an audio response with the route numbers. In case a route number is of user interest, then they can press the ‘Select’ button on the module. This triggers a voice output from the speaker near the bus door and this acts as an auditory cue for locating the door and boarding the bus.
According to a letter from the government to MTC on July 17, it will work with the Institute of Road Transport (IRT) and Delhi-based Raised Lined Foundation (RLF) on this project.
Vaishnavi Jayakumar from Freedom of Movement Coalition (FMC) said a proposal made in February to have on-board systems in 500 MTC buses has been shared with Smart City and CUMTA with no results. “It is hoped that they can be coupled with MTC’s planned 500 low-floor buses for trials,” she said.
