To improve safety and prevent accidents, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has installed Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) technology in 10 buses as a pilot project.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “A device called ‘Mobile 8 Connect’ has been installed in the buses. This installation consists of a vision sensor camera, a DMS (Driver Monitoring System) camera, a GPS unit, and an ‘eye watch’, all mounted on the vehicle’s front windshield and interconnected. This feature will constantly monitor the movements of buses, even while providing real-time alerts to the drivers.”
According to BMTC officials, through the vision sensor camera, the vehicles moving ahead of buses are identified and headway is monitored continuously to maintain a safe distance between the vehicles and to avoid any crash with vehicles or pedestrians. “All these features are noticed by the driver by creating audio and visual alerts by displaying it in the ‘eye watch’. The ‘eye watch’ is fitted on the right side in front of the driver, at an appropriate distance so that they can see the visual alert and hear the audio,” BMTC managing director G. Sathyavathi said.
These 10 buses are also installed with the DMS which is an inward camera that watches the movement of the driver continuously and records video before and after, whenever unusual movements of the driver are noticed. “Presently, 10 buses of BMTC are equipped with the devices for a period of three months on a trial. Five buses each of depot number 10, North East Zone, and depot no. 26, North Zone, are deployed for operation in 500 D routes,” Ms. Sathyavathi added.
The BMTC has started implementing the Automatic Vehicle Locating System system, in-bus surveillance systems in 5,000 buses and Passenger Information Systemat bus stops for women’s safety under the Nirbhaya Scheme for which it received funds from the Central government.
The corporation in September launched the much-awaited Namma BMTC app which is available on both Android and iOS platforms. The application allows women commuters to seek remote assistance in case of an emergency, and track movements of women passengers when support is sought by them, etc..
