BENGALURU: While the state transport department has mandated affixing emergency panic buttons in public vehicles, including buses, cabs, maxi-cabs, and goods vehicles with national permit, it has also ordered that the panic devices and buttons be in working condition when accessed by people during emergencies.
The department said the wires of the Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) and emergency button should be connected properly and the power button be kept on, so that if anyone pushes it during an emergency, the 24x7 Command and Control Centre at the Transport Department head office in Shanthinagar may duly get an alert, eliciting immediate action.
“A cab driver recently made a video, where he was seen pushing the panic button installed in his car. He claimed that there were no calls or any action after he pushed the button. He said that he paid Rs 15,000 to get the VLTD affixed in the vehicle, and now it’s of no use,” a senior official from the transport department said.
He explained that the panic button would not have been in working condition, which was why the driver claimed that there was no action.
“When we inspected, we found that in some vehicles, the VLTDs and emergency buttons were not installed properly. In some, the wires weren’t connected, while in others, the power button wasn’t turned on to ensure that the VLTD worked,” he said.
He explained that when the panic button is pushed, the command centre will get an alert with the vehicle’s exact location coordinates, and the control room will then alert the jurisdictional police for action.