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A voice guide for your bus commute in Chennai

December 22, 2014 01:29 am | Updated 01:29 am IST - CHENNAI:

MTC plans to install announcement system in bus stops, termini and AC buses

The MTC plans to introduce the system on buses on the Old Mahabalipuram Road. File Photo

If the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has its way, the days of stretching your neck out to figure out the number and destination of every approaching bus are over.

With public announcements likely at regular intervals, you can perhaps catch a few minutes of your favourite song on your phone at the bus terminus.

The MTC is conducting a feasibility study, with the help of a private agency, to install the web-based announcement system in bus stops, termini and some air-conditioned buses. “In the first-phase we are planning to fix them on Old Mahabalipuram Road,” said a MTC official.

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The data, including the location and the route, will be collected from the web-based system installed in the buses. Through this system, passengers will be able to track the buses and at what time it will reach the stop. “This will particularly help commuters from other States. In the next phase, we are planning to launch a free mobile application for passengers,” he added.

The MTC was planning to have kiosks where commuters could key in the source and destination to know which bus to board. “But we dropped the plan, fearing theft of the equipment. We are now considering having them in various termini,” the official said.

The OMR has been chosen for the project due to the presence of IT companies on the route. “We are planning to have the announcement system inside air-conditioned buses too. There is a lot of patronage, from IT professionals, for these buses and it will be helpful for them,” the official said.

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However, many passengers feel that digital boards should be in ‘working’ condition in all bus stops. “The MTC should maintain them properly. There is a need for big display board in major railway stations like Chennai Central and CMBT to know the source and destination of various buses. Many commuters, who are new to Chennai, will benefit,” suggested K. S. Gopalakrishnan, former member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee, Southern Railway, Chennai division.

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