<p>Passengers won't be able to track BMTC buses soon because the installation of vehicle tracking units (VTUs), CCTV cameras and other works have been delayed by two months due to the global chip crisis. </p>.<p>The BMTC has awarded the Rs 39-crore work to a joint-venture company. </p>.<p>As per the earlier plan, the authority had planned to finish the installation of the devices in 500 buses and launch the app in February. </p>.<p>But the chip shortage has put paid to that plan. </p>.<p>"The app is ready and is being tested. The delay is in the hardware installation. Semiconductor chips are a key component of VTUs, CCTV cameras and mobile network video recorders (MNVRs). The company has cited the chip shortage as a major cause for the delay,” a BMTC official said, adding the restrictions during the third wave only added to the problem. </p>.<p>Officials now hope to test the system and launch the app by April-end. "The hardware for about 2,000 buses has arrived now and work on installing them to the buses has started. We believe it will not take more than two months to equip all the buses with the devices. The remaining 1,000 buses will continue to run on the old VTUs which will be integrated with the system,” the official added. </p>.<p>In January, the BMTC formally took over the intelligent transport system (ITS), a project awarded to Trimax IT infrastructure and Services Ltd that fell apart in the wake of the company’s crisis. </p>.<p>Officials said the old infrastructure would be used or repurposed to extract the full benefit of the system. The new devices are not being installed in 1,000 buses that are old and have to be scrapped. But as long as they are running, they will be live tracked. </p>.<p class="CrossHead">The new ticketing regime was delayed by two months</p>.<p>It may take more than two months for the BMTC to adopt a new ticketing regime as the transport agency has decided to bring on a comprehensive solution. </p>.<p>Following the end of the contract with Trimax IT infrastructure and Services Limited in 2021, the use of electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) had dropped to 30% as officials switched to manual ticketing. </p>.<p>Though the BMTC called a tender for the design and implementation of an automatic fare collection system on January 11, it twice extended the deadline for the submission of bids. The new deadline is March 5. Bidder quoting the lowest charge per ticket will win the tender. </p>.<p>"The scope of the work is huge starting from the recognition of the common mobility card to the integration with the BMTC’s system. We have held a pre-bid meeting today (Thursday) and are confident that we will have a system in place in the next two or three months," an official said. </p>.<p>Besides generating tickets, the ETM has to validate various passes, store data on trips, routes and schedules, integrate with a mobile app for digital tickets and passes and recognise smart cards. </p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>Passengers won't be able to track BMTC buses soon because the installation of vehicle tracking units (VTUs), CCTV cameras and other works have been delayed by two months due to the global chip crisis. </p>.<p>The BMTC has awarded the Rs 39-crore work to a joint-venture company. </p>.<p>As per the earlier plan, the authority had planned to finish the installation of the devices in 500 buses and launch the app in February. </p>.<p>But the chip shortage has put paid to that plan. </p>.<p>"The app is ready and is being tested. The delay is in the hardware installation. Semiconductor chips are a key component of VTUs, CCTV cameras and mobile network video recorders (MNVRs). The company has cited the chip shortage as a major cause for the delay,” a BMTC official said, adding the restrictions during the third wave only added to the problem. </p>.<p>Officials now hope to test the system and launch the app by April-end. "The hardware for about 2,000 buses has arrived now and work on installing them to the buses has started. We believe it will not take more than two months to equip all the buses with the devices. The remaining 1,000 buses will continue to run on the old VTUs which will be integrated with the system,” the official added. </p>.<p>In January, the BMTC formally took over the intelligent transport system (ITS), a project awarded to Trimax IT infrastructure and Services Ltd that fell apart in the wake of the company’s crisis. </p>.<p>Officials said the old infrastructure would be used or repurposed to extract the full benefit of the system. The new devices are not being installed in 1,000 buses that are old and have to be scrapped. But as long as they are running, they will be live tracked. </p>.<p class="CrossHead">The new ticketing regime was delayed by two months</p>.<p>It may take more than two months for the BMTC to adopt a new ticketing regime as the transport agency has decided to bring on a comprehensive solution. </p>.<p>Following the end of the contract with Trimax IT infrastructure and Services Limited in 2021, the use of electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) had dropped to 30% as officials switched to manual ticketing. </p>.<p>Though the BMTC called a tender for the design and implementation of an automatic fare collection system on January 11, it twice extended the deadline for the submission of bids. The new deadline is March 5. Bidder quoting the lowest charge per ticket will win the tender. </p>.<p>"The scope of the work is huge starting from the recognition of the common mobility card to the integration with the BMTC’s system. We have held a pre-bid meeting today (Thursday) and are confident that we will have a system in place in the next two or three months," an official said. </p>.<p>Besides generating tickets, the ETM has to validate various passes, store data on trips, routes and schedules, integrate with a mobile app for digital tickets and passes and recognise smart cards. </p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>