Chennai app launched for live tracking MTC buses

CHENNAI: In a much-needed relief for citizens, Transport Minister SS Sivasankar on Wednesday launched the “Chennai Bus” app which will allow passengers to track Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses plying live in the city and adjoining districts and help them plan their trips accordingly.

The app also has an SOS button that will send a message to the contact number added by the passengers in case of an emergency or safety issue.

As part of the live bus route tracking project, all MTC buses have been equipped with GPS for passengers to ascertain their real-time location and expected time of arrival at the bus stop through the app, the Minister said while launching it in the presence of Transport Department Principal Secretary Dr K Gopal and MTC Managing Director A Anbu Abraham at the Secretariat.

The Minister said all the 3,454 MTC buses have GPS. “For the city and its adjoining districts, MTC operates 3,233 buses on a daily basis through 602 routes and along 6,026 bus stops. Twenty-five lakh people use the buses daily and those visiting from other districts and states could also use the app. Sivasankar added that the mobile app would be of immense help to those new to the city.

“We have just started fitting the buttons. The work on integrating it with the control room at MTC headquarters is on,” said a senior official from MTC. The control room will integrate alerts received to other control rooms, which will be monitored by law and order police, traffic police, transport and 108 ambulance call centres. “It may take at least four-to-six months to complete the project,” the official added.

Transport Department sources said that with the launch of the live bus track app for the MTC, another similar application will be developed for other State transport undertakings. “The Department has engaged Chalo India, an app developer to devise the live bust track application for all STUs,” a source said.