In an effort to improve the efficiency and provide more commuter-friendly services, fleet GPS tracking technology will be installed in about 12,000 buses of the Andhra Pradesh Road Transport in India.
The GPS tracking technology will provide an effective linkage between the bus driver and central control station for exchange of information like seat-vacancy, punctuality and emergencies, to provide effective services.
The GPS tracking software will be able to calculate the time of arrival of buses. Riders will be able to check in real-time when their bus is going to arrive.
This features is expected to drastically improve the level of service for RTC bus riders, and will especially come in handy during a snow storm or on a cold, rainy day.
The new fleet GPS tracking system won’t only benefit riders. Parking and Transportation services become more efficient in day-to-day operations, allowing review of arrivals and departures and better gauge the need for potential future route adjustments.
Vice Chairman and Managing Director of RTC, Prasada Rao, said he constantly asks the mechanical workers and drivers to strive for optimum savings on fuel, and to increase reliability as well as customer satisfaction.
The RTC staff must be listening. Rao’s team has recently won five awards at the national-level for their pioneering performance across various aspects like conservation of oil, Road Safety and low cost maintenance.
The RTC bus fleet is quickly expanding. In 2011 Transport minister Botsa Satyanarayana added 4,000 new buses to its fleet into the RTC, and another 4,000 buses will be purchased this year.