The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) has found a solution to kill the anxiety of anxious commuters waiting at bus stops.
The transport body has planned to start a facility wherein commuters will know when to expect their bus by sending a text message from their cellphones. This facility is expected to be operational soon, if the BEST’s plan sails through. “Most passengers have cellphones these days; if a person wants to know how long they would have to stand at the bus stop, he/she can avail of this service,’’ added an official, requesting anonymity.
“In the new system, all that a passenger has to do is send a text message to a pre-defined number; in response, the passenger will get a list of buses that are expected in the next two to five minutes,” another transport official said. This mechanism will work on real-time basis, given the traffic situation in Mumbai. “If there are five buses that have left from the previous bus stop, there is a possibility that two could get stuck in traffic; this change will get updated in the system and when the commuter sends the message again, he or she will get the latest information,” the official said.
The commuters will be charged for each text message sent, as authorities claimed that maintaining and operating this real-time based information facility would be expensive. BEST officials have just started work on the project and it is yet to be decided when Mumbaikars could avail of this service.