If you ask any MVD officer what they hate to do the most, in all chances it could be umpiring time settlement meetings with bus operators.
The meeting is called to iron out wrangles between bus operators when a new service is allowed on a route. The protracted meeting often proves to be a drag on the already stretched MVD staff often without any solution in sight.
But an answer seems to be coming up for it — a software designed by a motor vehicle inspector that would help map out routes and timing of bus services based on various parameters by using Information Technology tools like Google Map. This could also end drag racing among private buses.
Private buses often lag behind the schedule due to reasons ranging from bad roads to infrastructure work. To make up for the lost time, bus crew step on the pedal to avoid clashing with the timings of other buses operating in the same route. The software would take into consideration all aspects that have a bearing on the operation of services before allotting route and time. It would also come in handy whenever a new operator appears on the scene with application for a new service.
At present, officials in the Regional Transport Office have to convene a time settlement meeting of all operators in the route to call for objections on timings when they receive an application for a new service. With the introduction of the software, such meetings would gradually turn redundant as the entire data about buses in every route complete with their timing would be available on the fingertip.
A meeting to familiarise MVD officials with the software was held on Wednesday. The software would be run on a trial basis in Ernakulam and Muvattupuzha Regional Transport Office limits and would be recommended shortly to the Transport Commissioner for adoption across the State. It would later be customized and incorporated into Smart Move, a software developed by the National Informatics Centre for MVD.
