BENGALURU: Confusion prevails among owners of transport vehicles on the installation of emergency panic buttons and location tracking devices, which have been made mandatory.
While some owners stated that the cost of the tracking devices is higher than the market price, bus and van operators are not sure of how many panic buttons and location tracking devices they should install.
As per the state government’s notification issued in November last, all public service vehicles such as yellow board cabs, vans and tourist buses have to install panic buttons and tracking devices by this November. The idea is to enhance the safety of passengers, especially women. The owners, who fail to comply with the notification, will not be allowed to renew vehicle permits and fitness certificates.
A private cab owner said the cost of the tracking device and panic button kit in the market is around Rs 4,000. However, the unit supplied by the empanelled vendors of the transport department costs Rs 7,599, excluding GST.
He said installation of the device is not a problem, but the compulsion that it should be obtained only from the empanelled vendors is the issue. He sought to know on what basis 13 companies have been selected to supply such devices.
A representative of a private cab operators’ association said, “For vehicles such as tourist vans and buses, there is no clarity on how many panic buttons should be installed. Also, the main intention is to track the vehicles. If any passenger hits the emergency panic button, it has to be addressed. There is no clarity on how this will function.”
Additional commissioner (Transport) Mallikarjuna C said, “There are 13 empanelled vendors to supply the panic button and vehicle tracking equipment. Vehicle owners can purchase the devices from these vendors. The transport department has nothing to do with pricing.”
He said vehicle owners have been asked to install the devices at the earliest. Once the Model Code of Conduct ends, the department will raise awareness on it and persuade vehicle owners to install devices by November.