The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has decided to implement the Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) for effective implementation of Bus Rapid Transit project.
With ITS, buses and bus terminals will have an information system in place. It will also facilitate automatic fare collection. ITS will also help manage frequency of buses on various routes in an efficient way.
Shrikant Savane, executive engineer, engineering department, PCMC, said, “LED boards giving information about the bus timings and route map will be installed at the bus stations on BRTS routes. Passengers will be given information about the area where any particular bus is plying. Passenger information system will be available through simple SMS or other means of communication”.
“The ITS system will help the PMPML management to prepare bus and crew schedules. It will inform the officials about the number of buses plying, the number of passengers they are carrying and would also generate revenue collection reports,” said Savana.
Savane said there would be off-board ticketing facility. Passengers would have to take pre-paid ticket cards which they can swipe at the destinations. This facility is available in the BRTS system at Ahmedabad, he said.
PCMC will start two BRTS routes — Pune-Mumbai highway and Aundh-Ravet road – in the first phase. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and PCMC will share the cost of the ITS system on pro-rata basis which is proportionate to the amount of bus stations, buses and number of kilometers of BRT routes in their municipal limits.
On Tuesday, the PCMC standing committee approved a short notice resolution giving approval for the appointment of a project consultant for the implementation of ITS system. According to the proposal, the civic body will develop 45-km long BRT routes and 90 BRT bus stations under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission(JNNURM) scheme.
The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limted (PMPML) has bought 800 buses for the BRT routes (600 for PMC limits and 200 for PCMC limits). The PMC has appointed a project consultant for implementing the ITS system in its limits. The consultant conducts the pre-bid and post process for the implementation of the ITS system.
A PCMC official said, “Around four to five months will be required to complete the pre-bid process. Later, it will require another one year to set-up the ITS system.”
