Bus app misfires as GPS faults derail live tracking
Chennai: Commuters relying on the govt's Chennai Bus app to track Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses may want to think twice—the app is currently running on a mix of faulty data, and incompatible GPS kits.
Some of the newest additions—blue-coloured low-floor buses—have defective GPS kits. The issue came to light when Srikanth, a software engineer, reverse-engineered the app and posted his findings on X. He claimed that at least 15 new low-floor buses were sitting idle at depots for extended periods, raising questions about operational inefficiency. Resident-activist D Ramakrishnan from Adambakkam added, "We understand old buses being out for repairs.
But why are brand new buses, less than a year old, out of service for months?"
MTC rejected this and said that none of the buses were grounded and that periodic maintenance might cause temporary inactivity. It also acknowledged a transition to a new technology partner and promised that live tracking would resume shortly.
Meanwhile, flawed GPS data not only misled passengers but unfairly blamed staff. Drivers are questioned for delays even when on time or stuck in traffic because the app shows wrong timings.
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T Prabhushankar, Managing Director of MTC, said the earlier contract with Chalo—the private firm handling GPS tracking for MTC buses—had ended, and was temporarily extended until a new concessionaire takes over under the government's Smart City initiative.
He admitted that around 10% of the new buses, though equipped with in-built GPS devices, were either incompatible with the current system or rendered ineffective due to server update issues. "This will be addressed under the new project as part of the Chennai Intelligent Transport System (CITS). We are in a transition phase and expect to resolve these issues within a month," he said.
The CITS project will also introduce Passenger Information Systems (PIS) to display real-time bus data, including expected arrival times, at terminals, bus stops, and transit hubs.
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