Karnataka: Only 5,000 public vehicles have panic buttons

TNN / Updated: Aug 10, 2022, 04:51 IST

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<p>Transport department officials said tracking devices and emergency buttons are a must in all new public transport vehicles, including buses, school vehicles and cabs <br></p>

BENGALURU: It has been more than three years since the Centre mandated installation of Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTDs) and emergency buttons for public service vehicles (PSVs) registered on and after January 1, 2019. But the response in tech-savvy Karnataka has been poor.
VLTDs and panic buttons have been affixed in only 4,989 of the 29.5 lakh PSVs in the state. In Maharashtra, the devices have been fixed in 49,172 vehicles, followed by Delhi (35,508), Uttarakhand (17,369), Chhattisgarh (16,603), Himachal Pradesh (14,369) and Goa (9,674). Across the country, around 1.6 lakh vehicles have the devices.

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Many Bengalureans, including women, rely on cabs. But most app-based aggregators have failed to set up call centres to address their concerns. It’s a shame too that the government has neither ensured GPS trackers and panic buttons in public vehicles nor put in place a centralised control room in coordination with police. State transport undertakings like BMTC should also implement the facility as it can be used to track overspeeding vehicles, identify errant driversand reduce accidents. It is high time the authorities woke up and put passenger safety uppermost.

In 2020, the Centre had formulated Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 140 to standardise the specification of GPS-based tracking devices and emergency buttons across the country under the Nirbhaya framework.
Transport department officials said VLTDs and emergency buttons are a must in all new public transport vehicles, including buses, school vehicles and cabs. However, autos are exempted for now. Also, Karnataka is yet to establish a monitoring centre to track vehicles and attend emergency calls. "On being pressed, the panic buttons will send out alerts during emergencies, speeding/rash driving, and in case of harassment or misbehaviour," said an official.
As of March 31, 2022, there are 2.8 crore vehicles registered in Karnataka, including 1 crore in Bengaluru. Of the 2.8 crore, 29.5 lakh are PSVs. "Passengers, especially women, are more vulnerable in closed vehicles. This (system) will help us monitor vehicle movement, location, overspeeding etc. Tthere have been several cases where passengers have been harassed by cab drivers," said an official.
Tracking of BMTC buses a pipe dream: Passengers
Many BMTC bus users complain that tracking the vehicles on a real-time basis remains a distant dream. In March 2021, BMTC issued a work order to a consortium of Manipal Group and Amnex Infotechnologies at a cost of Rs 37.3 crore.
The project includes fitting two cameras each in 5,000 buses, 5,000 vehicle-tracking units (VTUs), 500 passenger information system display boards and a new mobile app with women-safety features. However, it is yet to be ready. Officials said they will launch the app by November 2022.
In Kerala, the transport department has launched a mobile app (Vidyavahini) to help parents track schoolbuses. A majority of buses in Kerala are now equipped with GPS systems.

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