BENGALURU: Less than three years ago, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) installed passenger information systems (PIS) at bus shelters to display bus numbers, routes, destinations and estimated time of arrival (ETA). However, the systems are now almost defunct, with several boards displaying incorrect information while others are nonfunctional.
The project, taken up at a cost of Rs 40 crore under the Centre’s Nirbhaya Scheme, was intended to provide passengers with information on bus services and live ETAs. However, commuters say the boards at several locations are either nonfunctional or display information that does not match with the actual arrival of buses.
P Reshma, a regular commuter who uses BMTC services across the city for work, said, “The boards show some information, but the ETA is not close to reality. In many locations, the boards are not functional at all,” she said.
Naveen S, a college student who changes buses at Shanthinagar bus stand, said the display boards there do not show the correct arrival time. He said he sometimes calculates his travel time to college instead of relying on the information displayed on the boards.
Another commuter, Vasudev, said the board showing the live ETA of buses at the Ragigudda Arch bus stop on 100 Feet Ring Road and several other bus stops were off for months.
The BMTC had installed around 500 LED boards across the city, including at locations and routes near Bannerghatta, Ragigudda, RT Nagar Post Office, Vasanth Nagar, Shanthinagar, Corporation, Hennur and Yeshwanthpur.
The PIS project was intended to help passengers plan their journeys by providing information on bus arrivals. However, the nonfunctional and inaccurate boards have left commuters unable to rely on the system.
When contacted to ask whether BMTC would repair or replace the nonfunctional boards, the transport corporation declined to respond.