Bengaluru's BMTC and Namma Metro to open up real-time transit data

BMRCL and BMTC officials confirmed to Moneycontrol that they will open up the data

After long delays, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Namma Metro have decided to open up their real-time transit data.

This will help startups develop applications by leveraging real-time data from both bus operator BMTC and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL).

BMRCL and BMTC officials confirmed to Moneycontrol that they will open up the real-time transit data.

"We are now in the process of migrating the vehicle tracking application to the Karnataka State Data Centre (KSDC). Once the deployment is complete, we will plan to open up our transit data," BMTC managing director R Ramachandran told Moneycontrol.

Also read: Bengaluru's QR code metro ticketing system surpasses 25 lakh monthly users within a year of launch

"In 2022, we signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Google to share real-time information of trains so a passenger could monitor them even if they are not in the station. We have now decided to open up the real-time transit data along with BMTC ," said a senior BMRCL official.  Bengaluru Metro's daily ridership is around 6.8-7.5 lakh

Both BMTC and BMRCL will upload the globally accepted transit data standard named General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) on a common portal. Delhi has already launched the Open Transit Data platform (otd.delhi.gov.in), which provides real-time data free of cost for use by third-party app developers.

A source said BMTC will share GTFS (static data) now and will provide real-time data by July-August, once BMTC gets a cloud service provider or moves to KSDC's server. "This will improve user experience and also increase BMTC's ridership. For instance, Namma Yatri (cab and auto rickshaw aggregator), which is on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform, will be able to incorporate this data to include end-to-end journey planning. BMTC's data includes bus numbers, route numbers, schedules, etc, ".

As part of this initiative, non-governmental organisation World Resources Institute (WRI) India along with Villgro and Mercedes Benz Research & Development India, will conduct 'Enroute Challenge', a hackathon, on June 12.

"Startups are invited to develop MaaS (innovative mobility as a service) applications by leveraging BMTC and BMRCL open data. The idea is to enhance accessibility and make efficient mobility a reality for all in Bengaluru," said Srinivas Alavilli, fellow, integrated transport and road safety, WRI India.

Karnataka transport minister Ramalinga Reddy will be the chief guest, and senior government officials from different mobility agencies will also participate.

Pawan Mulukutla, executive programme director (integrated transport, clean air and hydrogen), WRI India, said the first step is to make the data open and then standardise the data format. "The opening up of dynamic data will enable innovations in the ecosystem and help develop multiple solutions. This will also improve accessibility for non-users and integrate with other applications for hassle-free commuting," he said.

BMTC has been promising to open up the data since 2016 when it launched the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) project, but the data remained closed. The corporation was reluctant to share the data due to fears that private firms and aggregators might misuse it, especially on airport and tech corridors.

BMTC is now operating 5,640 buses and had an average daily ridership of 27.71 lakh that after the implementation of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women) rose to around 36-40 lakh.

Also read: Bengaluru Metro sees ridership and revenue surge despite free bus travel for women

Between 2016 and 2021, BMTC's ITS provider was Trimax, a Mumbai-based firm. Then, in February 2021, BMTC awarded a Rs 37.3-crore contract to a consortium of the Manipal Group and Amnex Infotechnologies for various initiatives, including ITS, under the Nirbhaya Fund. In April 2023, BMTC launched its long-pending mobile app Namma BMTC to track buses in real time.

However, there are complaints that BMTC's mobile app is plagued with technical snags and bugs. By opening up data, the hope is that new developers could come up with better app/mobility solutions.

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

In the absence of an open data policy, many citizens who created their own mobility portals and apps faced challenges in the past. In 2019, BMTC blocked a teenager's app named 'Bengaluru Buses: Track BMTC Buses in Real-Time' after it became a hit. The boy was forced to remove the app from the Google Play Store. Following criticism, BMTC collaborated with the teenager to launch another app, 'MyBMTC', for some time.

Last year, two public transport enthusiasts launched a web portal (kia.bengawalk.com) to provide schedules and timings of Vayu Vajra (airport) buses using static timetable. However, it has no real-time tracking.

BMTC had also tied up with another mobility app, Tummoc, for digital passes but only static data on bus routes and timings are available on the app.