Revamped BMTC app with real-time info coming soon

Christin Mathew Philip / TNN / Updated: Nov 26, 2019, 10:13 IST

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Commuters can soon have real-time information about Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses at their fingertips. The state-run utility joined hands with a teenager, it had earlier shunned, to develop MyBMTC, an app which will be made available to the public in a few days.

Revamped BMTC app with real-time info coming soon

Innovator: Nihar Thakkar

BENGALURU: Commuters can soon have real-time information about Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses at their fingertips. The state-run utility joined hands with a teenager, it had earlier shunned, to develop MyBMTC, an app which will be made available to the public in a few days.
TOI had on July 7 published a report — BMTC shows door to teen whose bus app a hit among passengers — highlighting how Nihar Thakkar’s app, Bengaluru buses: Track BMTC buses in real time, had come in handy for several commuters since its launch, till the utility blocked his access to its data server.Drawing flak in the wake of the report, BMTC was forced to rope in Nihar to revamp its app. Apart from real-time tracking of buses, the new application will also have features like trip planner, timetable, fares, location of nearby bus stops, transit routes, buses arriving at terminals and the airport.

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From electric buses to priority lanes, BMTC has been trying all routes to boost its services, but the journey has been bumpy nonetheless. The corporation made a wise decision in joining hands with the teenager, whom it had initially barred, to launch a real-time bus-tracking app. The tech intervention, if used to its full potential, could shore up the fortunes of the beleaguered public utility that’s fast losing its patrons in the ever-growing, multi-model urban mobility ecosystem. The app’s success in its earlier avatar showed it had enough takers. BMTC must now ensure it draws full mileage out of it.

The revamped app is likely to bring relief to passengers endlessly waiting for buses and unable to access real-time data on them.

BMTC’s daily ridership fell from 51.3 lakh in 2014-15 to 35.8 lakh in 2018-19.
“The app is now ready for launch. We’ve completed all tests and it’s now 95% accurate. The new app will be more accurate and faster than the previous one. We are also sorting out some minor issues to avoid technical glitches. Existing app users will have to uninstall the earlier app and upload the new one, which will be available in iOS App Store and Android’s Google Play Store,” said a senior BMTC official.

Nihar, who worked closely with the corporation for the past few months, said he is happy with the outcome. “It will have a better interface and provide superior user experience. I hope the new app will benefit both BMTC and passengers. When more people shift to buses, Bengaluru’s traffic congestion will ease,” he said.
Sources say the app revamp efforts got a fillip after C Shikha and K Santosh Babu recently assumed charge as managing director and director (information and technology) of BMTC, respectively.
An earlier app launched in 2016 and based on GPS fitted on its 6,400-odd buses, was riddled with bugs, and provided inaccurate details.

About the Author

Christin Mathew Philip

Christin Mathew Philip is a Principal Correspondent with The Times of India, Bengaluru. He writes on urban mobility and traffic issues. He is the winner of Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award (2015) for his reporting on civic issues in Chennai. He worked in TOI Chennai (2011-2016) before moving to The New Indian Express, Bengaluru in 2016.

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