APSRTC bus info on mobiles

Awaiting a bus unaware of its timing will be a passé. If the plans of
researchers at IIIT-Hyderabad are anything to go by, the Andhra Pradesh Stare
Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) would soon provide information pertaining to
the timing of buses from any bus stop in the twin cities of Hyder-

abad and Secunderabad on the commu-ter's mobile phones.

Heading the project IIIT-Hyderabad associate professor P Krishna Reddy said,
"We have developed a prototype called e-BusGuide that will provide
schedules and routing information to commuters through an online system that can
be accessed not only through the Internet but also via mobile phones. We would
be submitting the prototype to APSRTC soon."

According to him, on an average in Hyderabad alone, about 31 lakh passengers
travel by bus on a daily basis. He further asserted, "Generally, people are
unaware of the timings and the shortest route available to reach a particular
location. Instead of waiting for a bus, commuters opt for an alternative mode of
transport."

According to Reddy, "With mobile prices coming down, its use is
increasing and if people are provided with the information on mobiles as to when
the bus would reach at a given location, they might start using this information
and continue to travel by APSRTC. This project will not only prove to be
beneficial for commuters but also increases occupancy rate of APSRTC."

As per our estimation, we expect that this would cost around Rs 40 lakh for
APSRTC to implement the project," he informed.

Sunitha Natti

(CyberMedia News)