After 2-year delay, BMTC app is finally launched; users can track buses in real-time

bmtc

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has finally launched its long-pending mobile app Namma BMTC.

The app is available for download in both English and Kannada on Google Play and Apple Store for Android and iOS users.

BMTC, which has a daily ridership of around 30 lakh and operates 5,568 buses, had earlier decided to name the app Nimmbus but changed it to Namma BMTC. Namma is Kannada for “our”.

In addition to live tracking, it also has an SOS feature, mainly for female passengers, a fare calculator, the location of nearby bus stops, etc. However, some of the old buses will not be tracked.

This is the third app that has been launched by BMTC. In 2016, an app was unveiled but it was plagued with glitches. In 2019, the bus utility tied up with a teenager and launched 'MyBMTC'.

The Namma BMTC app is available in both English and Kannada

In 2016, BMTC launched the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) project but passengers have been unable to track buses in real-time since July 2021, the expiry of the contract with Trimax, a Mumbai-based firm.

In February 2021, BMTC issued a Rs 37.3-crore contract to a consortium of Manipal Group and Amnex Infotechnologies for initiatives, including ITS, under the Nirbhaya fund. This project comprises two cameras each in 5,000 buses, 5,000 VTUs, 500 passenger information system display boards, and a mobile app with women's safety features. But BMTC missed multiple deadlines to launch the app.

Passengers welcomed the move and said the utility should also display Passenger Information System (PIS) digital boards at all bus shelters.

BMTC officials said they received permission from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike to install PIS display boards at 500 major bus stops and terminals within a month.

"We will also take steps to open up the data so more individuals/private firms can come up with new apps/solutions," a BMTC official said.