The Transport Department has said that owners of public service vehicles such as buses and cabs will be given a “reasonable amount of time” to comply with the mandatory installation of vehicle tracking system and panic button.

After being directed by the Union government, the department made the device installation mandatory for newly registered vehicles with effect from January 1.

On Wednesday, Transport Minister D.C. Thammanna, who inaugurated the initiative at Yeshwantpur RTO, said in the coming days, device installation would be mandatory for vehicles already registered in the State.

The device, developed by BSNL, will cost ₹10,000 to ₹12,000. The Minster said the State government would approach the Centre to reduce the cost if the vehicle owners find the device too expensive.

Department officials said the device would help ensure safety of passengers, especially women, and help reduce accidents as vehicles can be monitored for rash driving and other offences.

Transport Commissioner V.P. Ikkeri told The Hindu that the time frame for installation of vehicle tracking system and panic button would be decided depending on the age of the vehicle.

“We will give a reasonable time for the owners to install the device mandated by the Union government. There are talks of imposing a ban on vehicles older than 15 years from plying on the road. We have to consider this issue as well while implementing the new rules. The department will come up with a plan on the time frame and action that needs to be taken on vehicle owners who fail to follow the directions,” he said.

While issuing the notification, the Centre had given the liberty to the State to come up with rules on fixing the deadline for the vehicles already registered.

The State has over 3.37 lakh maxi-cabs and other taxis, out of which 1.68 lakh are registered with RTOs in Bengaluru.

Over 1.06 lakh buses registered in the State are operated as stage carriages, contract carriages, and private service vehicles. In Bengaluru, 48,899 buses are registered.

It has also become mandatory for the State road transport corporations such as the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to comply with the rules. The KSRTC has a fleet of over 8,700 buses.

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), which has a fleet of over 6,600 buses, is gearing up to comply with the rules. N.V. Prasad, MD, BMTC, said the buses were already fitted with GPS and installation of the panic button would be done in the coming days.