Users Urge Telangana RTC to Use Gamyam Data to Improve Punctuality

RTC should do more with Gamyam bus live-tracking app

The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation’s Gamyam app needs to move beyond showing bus locations and use its data to track timetable adherence, identify delays and improve punctuality, bus users and transport experts have said.

The concerns have emerged even as the TGSRTC has sanctioned ₹19.21 crore for its vehicle tracking and passenger information system.

Users report gaps in live tracking

Bus users have raised concerns about the app’s live tracking, route information and the punctuality of services.

Prithvi Raj, a student and bus user, said there had been occasions when he was unable to track in real time the bus he intended to board.

“RTC should ensure that Gamyam should not be limited to displaying bus locations,” he said.

Raj said the data should be used to monitor whether buses were following their timetables and to identify services that were consistently delayed.

He also said the information could help improve punctuality.

Another concern was that some buses were skipping designated bus stops and operating like express services instead of ordinary services.

“Such behaviour should be monitored through the app, and action should be taken,” he said.

Route data needs regular updates

The vehicle tracking and passenger information system initially covered 4,170 buses and was subsequently extended, according to the response to a Right to Information request filed by Kareem Ansari through the portal YOURTI.in.

According to the letter of award, the negotiated rate for the system is ₹375 per bus per month, excluding GST.

The corporation listed a total of 9,320 vehicles till March.

Transport researchers familiar with the system said the TGSRTC needed to update route information promptly to improve the app’s effectiveness.

They said the corporation should inform the vendor about new routes on the day operations commence and ensure that the routes are reflected in the app.

Routes that are no longer operational should also be removed, they said.

Keeping route information current would help ensure that the details shown to passengers match the services being operated, according to the concerns raised by researchers and users.

Buses must be mapped to correct schedules

A transport expert told The Hindu that the corporation should ensure buses are mapped to the correct schedules before they leave the depot.

“Often, some buses are shown on a particular route but are operating on a different route,” the expert said.

The expert also said route codes should be distinct when a service terminates short of its usual destination or is extended by just one stop.

“For example, 195W terminating at JNTU cannot be coded as 195W. It should be coded as 195J,” he said.

The example points to the need for the app to distinguish between services with similar route numbers but different destinations.

Users seek better journey planning

Users also said Gamyam could be made more useful by adding features that help passengers plan journeys involving transfers between buses.

Md. Shoaib, a media professional, said the app does not allow passengers to filter searches by route direction.

“Both directions are displayed simultaneously, which confuses passengers,” he said.

The concerns therefore cover the app’s live tracking, the accuracy and timeliness of route information, timetable monitoring and journey planning for transfers.

Source: The Hindu