Thane transport to adopt AI to optimise shrinking bus fleet and maximise revenue

Thane: The Thane municipal transport will start adopting AI in a bid to optimise its already strained fleet of buses, maximise carrying capacity, and earn more revenue in the next fiscal year.The plans mentioned in the Rs 791.86 crore budget presentation for 2026-27, made by municipal transport (TMT) manager Balchandra Behere on Monday, outline that while the volume of passengers on TMT buses has increased, the fleet size hasn't increased in tandem, due to which they have to optimise the existing fleet, most of which often get stuck on traffic-prone routes within and beyond the city limits, pushing the schedules out of gear. Passengers waiting at the Thane Satis or at various points along the Ghodbunder often complain about queues on certain routes getting longer, while empty buses continue to be plied on other routes due to the present rigid timetable, which not just leaves commuters frustrated but also diverts potential revenue to private bus services and agencies. Field officials said the traffic congestion on several routes delays the arrival of the vehicles at bus stations, due to which the route inspectors are unable to schedule them, which will be managed once the ITMS system is fully in operation. Plus, the shortage on certain revenue-rich routes is due to buses plying on non-profitable routes, and the plans are likely to make the schedules of buses more flexible, which means services will be deployed based on the need. Officials also point out how buses often end up in the workshops due to overcrowding and navigating poor road conditions, especially along the Ghodbunder. "Often, our buses carry 100 passengers at any given time, which is over double the permissible passengers, as the volume of on-road buses has shrunk mainly due to frequent wear and tear of vehicles," confirmed an official requesting anonymity. "We are working on implementing the Intelligent Traffic Management System for our buses, where we will be able to locate the position of buses, analyse the tickets sold at a particular stretch and time, and accordingly reschedule the next bunch of buses on different routes depending on requirements. This will help us reduce the losses incurred by plying buses on non-profitable routes," said Behere. Meanwhile, the administration claimed to be getting over 360 buses inducted into the Thane transport fleet by the end of the next fiscal year. "Around 100 air-conditioned electric buses are expected to be inducted into the TMT fleet under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme in 2026-27, while the tendering process is underway for 110 more additional AC e-buses, including 10 double-deckers, and 160 more through the 15th Finance Commission's NCAP grants," explained Behere.