Latest news with #Chalo
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
BEST conductors grapple with paucity of loose change
Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has been grappling with complaints from conductors regarding the paucity of loose change since bus fares were hiked on May 9. The shortage has forced conductors to issue more credit notes to passengers than earlier, pushing up the daily average of credit notes from ₹700 to ₹1,100, said sources. The problem is especially acute in airconditioned buses plying on short-distance ring routes, wherein the fare was hiked from ₹6 to ₹12, the sources added. 'Earlier, when passengers on ring routes paid us ₹10, we would have to return ₹5 in case of non-AC buses and ₹4 in case of AC buses,' a BEST conductor told Hindustan Times. 'But after the hike in minimum fare to ₹10 for non-AC buses and ₹12 for AC buses, we must return ₹8 or ₹10, which is a major problem due to the shortage of loose change.' BEST conductors are provided coins worth ₹125 everyday for several years now, said BEST sources. But far more ₹20 coins and notes are in circulation compared to ₹10 coins and notes, which is compounding the problem, said BEST union members. 'I myself have received several complaints about passengers arguing with conductors regarding returning loose change,' said BEST union leader Subhash Samant. As per standard practice, when conductors do not have loose change, they write the amount payable to passengers on the backside of their tickets. These 'credit notes' must be encashed at the BEST depot in Wadala and it is not possible to use them to pay for other bus journeys, said sources in BEST. 'There is a need to decentralise the disbursal of credit notes so that passengers don't spend extra to collect their own money, which at times could be lesser than the amount spent on travelling to Wadala depot,' said a BEST official. According to figures from BEST, between May 1 and May 8, BEST issued credit notes worth ₹5,746. But from May 9, when fares were hiked, till May 20, credit notes worth ₹12,621 were issued by conductors. 'The BEST administration should have thought about these issues prior to increasing fares. They should have spoken to banks for dispensing more coins,' said a commuter who did not wish to be identified. Meanwhile, the use of Chalo cards for purchasing tickets is slowly picking up, with 15-20% passengers using the cards now.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
MTC to soon launch upgraded version of Chennai Bus app
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) will be launching a new and upgraded version of the Chennai Bus app in one month, and final testing work for this, is under progress. The Chennai Bus app was launched to help bus commuters get real time data of the arrival and departure of the buses in the hundreds of routes being operated in the city. A senior official of the MTC said the present Chennai Bus app would be replaced with an advanced 2.0 version making it even more efficient and convenient for commuters to identify their designated buses in real time via mobile phones. The upgraded version would be available on both the Android and iOS platforms. At present a number of commuters have been complaining about the schedule going awry with some of the buses, despite being installed with GPS, but not reflecting in either the route or the bus movement on the app. To overcome this issue the MTC which had launched the bus application earlier in the Chalo Bus app before migrating to the Chennai bus app in 2022 on the Android platform which was finally released in the iOS platform in 2024. As part of the modernisation effort the MTC has computerised the scheduling of buses in depots, relaying of bus data in the app in real time and was creating infrastructure facilities by installing digital display boards in important bus stops for commuters to know the arrivals and departures of the buses. S. Rajasekar, a social activist from Ambattur, complained that some buses in every fleet of MTC were not trackable on Chalo or the Chennai Bus app even though all buses have GPS trackers installed. Also some of the small buses, which were launched recently, are not showing in the app, he added. To overcome this particular issue the MTC is going for installing new high quality GPS machines in the entire fleet of 3,400 buses by replacing the old GPS machines, which have accuracy issues, causing the buses to not shown in the app in real time. The GPS machines were installed by the company involved in creating the Chalo bus app. T. Murugan, who uses the Chennai bus app, also urges the MTC to allow purchasing of tickets through the app similar to the UTS app of southern Railway through QR code system. To help commuters waiting at the bus stands by providing details of buses arriving and departing, the MTC has started installing light emitting diode (LED) boards at the bus stands. The LED boards which will be linked to the online server of the bus app will be providing real time data for the commuters not having the app. The senior MTC official said the LED boards would display information such as the estimated time of arrival, estimated time of departure, bus route number, destinations, speed and also alert any accidents. At present the MTC has installed in more than 18 places of important bus stops including Chintadripet, Broadway, Central and Nungambakkam. The MTC has plans to install LED boards in a total of 616 locations comprising 500 bus stops and in 71 main terminals.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Upgraded version 2.0 Chennai bus app to be launched by MTC soon
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) will be launching a new and upgraded version of the Chennai Bus app in one month, and final testing work for this, is under progress. The Chennai Bus app was launched to help bus commuters get real time data of the arrival and departure of the buses in the hundreds of routes being operated in the city. A senior official of the MTC said the present Chennai Bus app would be replaced with an advanced 2.0 version making it even more efficient and convenient for commuters to identify their designated buses in real time via mobile phones. The upgraded version would be available on both the Android and iOS platforms. At present a number of commuters have been complaining about the schedule going awry with some of the buses, despite being installed with GPS, but not reflecting in either the route or the bus movement on the app. To overcome this issue the MTC which had launched the bus application earlier in the Chalo Bus app before migrating to the Chennai bus app in 2022 on the Android platform which was finally released in the iOS platform in 2024. As part of the modernisation effort the MTC has computerised the scheduling of buses in depots, relaying of bus data in the app in real time and was creating infrastructure facilities by installing digital display boards in important bus stops for commuters to know the arrivals and departures of the buses. S. Rajasekar, a social activist from Ambattur, complained that some buses in every fleet of MTC were not trackable on Chalo or the Chennai Bus app even though all buses have GPS trackers installed. Also some of the small buses, which were launched recently, are not showing in the app, he added. To overcome this particular issue the MTC is going for installing new high quality GPS machines in the entire fleet of 3,400 buses by replacing the old GPS machines, which have accuracy issues, causing the buses to not shown in the app in real time. The GPS machines were installed by the company involved in creating the Chalo bus app. T. Murugan, who uses the Chennai bus app, also urges the MTC to allow purchasing of tickets through the app similar to the UTS app of southern Railway through QR code system. To help commuters waiting at the bus stands by providing details of buses arriving and departing, the MTC has started installing light emitting diode (LED) boards at the bus stands. The LED boards which will be linked to the online server of the bus app will be providing real time data for the commuters not having the app. The senior MTC official said the LED boards would display information such as the estimated time of arrival, estimated time of departure, bus route number, destinations, speed and also alert any accidents. At present the MTC has installed in more than 18 places of important bus stops including Chintadripet, Broadway, Central and Nungambakkam. The MTC has plans to install LED boards in a total of 616 locations comprising 500 bus stops and in 71 main terminals.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
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. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Que tipo de dedos você tem? É isso que diz sobre a sua personalidade! Conselhos E Truques Undo 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. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Time of India
CM to launch the pink bus services in six cities today
Patna: CM Nitish Kumar will flag off the first batch of 20 pink buses of (BSRTC), meant for women, at a function to be held on 1 Anne Marg in Patna on Friday. With the aim of improving safety and accessibility for women commuters, eight CNG (compressed natural gas)-powered pink buses will roll out in Patna, four in Muzaffarpur, and two each in Gaya, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur and Purnia, said the BSRTC officials. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In Patna, the new buses will initially ply on four routes — from Gandhi Maidan to AIIMS-Patna in Phulwarisharif, Danapur and Kurji (via Boring Road), and NIT-More to Kankarbagh autorickshaw stand. According to the officials, the minimum fare will be Rs 6 and maximum Rs 35 for one-way journey. Various payment options like prepaid cards, and monthly and student passes are available. Initially, the driver in the buses will be men, while the conductor will be women. "We will train women drivers as well," an official said. The 22-seater buses will be equipped with modern safety features, including CCTV cameras, GPS tracking systems, panic buttons, speed governor, fire extinguisher and first-aid kit, besides mobile charging port near all seats. The real-time location of the buses can be seen on 'Chalo', a mobile application. Transport minister Sheela Kumari said that the pink bus service will serve as a significant step towards social empowerment. "It will boost women's confidence. In the future, the pink bus service will be expanded to other cities," she said. Eighty more pink buses are already in the pipeline. Transport secretary Sandeep Kumar R Pudakalkatti said that the pink bus service is specifically for working women and students to provide them with a sense of safety during travel. Women can spot the pink buses from a distance due to their distinctive colour.
