GPS-based automatic bus stop announcement facility launched in Chennai MTC buses

The GPS-based service, a long-time demand of commuters in the city, was launched Saturday by Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is also the son of Chief Minister M K Stalin, in the presence of Minister for Transport S S Sivasankar and other senior officials.

The announcement system has been installed in 150 buses in the first phase, officials said. The department is planning to expand this facility and install it in about 1,000 more buses, they added. Over 3,000 MTC buses in the city already have GPS devices installed in them.

A senior official with the MTC told indianexpress.com that the announcement system will help other non-residents of Chennai as many may not be familiar with the routes or the language. “It also helps the visually impaired, senior citizens and tourists who are not familiar with Chennai. The names of some bus stops are in Tamil and it may be difficult for those who do not know the language to explain it to the conductor. The new announcement system solves such issues. The announcement comes about 100 metres before a bus stop, in both English and Tamil,” he said.

In May, the ruling DMK government had launched the mobile app ‘Chennai Bus’ to make travelling hassle-free for commuters in the city. The app provides details of bus routes, current location and arrival time at the bus stop. An SOS button for passengers was also included in the app for passengers to contact their friends or family in case of an emergency.