Touch phone, plan commute

Touch phone, plan commute

Kolkata: Now, plan your trip within Kolkata on Google maps on your phone. With all data of routes under state transport utilities available on Google, one can touch and select the public transport bus or tram services he/she wants to avail to reach his/her destination. The map suggests the best route to reach one's destination, giving citizens a respite from rogue taxi or auto drivers who swindle passengers by taking winding routes to take them to their destinations.

The state transport department, a month ago, shared data on bus and tram services with Google, which later put them on its map. The Google representatives, said a source, held the meeting with state officials at Paribahan Bhawan.

But how will it help the commuters? One needs to put the origin and destination on the map. Google map will give options to reach the destination - multiple routes under different modes of transport on real-time basis. Google will also give the approximate time to be taken by each mode of transport.

"For a tourist, the system will come very handy to reach any place of interest from any point of the city. For an office-goer, it will be only a matter of few seconds to know the route he must take to reach his or her office. Eventually, one can also locate the bus he needs to catch on the map," said managing director of West Bengal State Transport Corporation Narayan Swarup Nigam.

Already, the state transport department has shared the details of route, fleet size and stoppage details of buses and trams under state transport utilities (STUs) with Google. Gradually, Metro rail, ferry services, suburban trains will also be embedded in the system, there to give a commuter a holistic picture about his best possible route to take, said a transport department officer.

This development comes at a time when several technology-driven passenger amenities are being developed by the transport department. The STUs are already working on GPS-based smart-transit system which will help a commuter locate his or her bus on the map and plan the trip accordingly.

The state transport department, with the help of World Bank, will do a study on bus-route rationalization and integration of bus services with other modes of transport like Metro and ferry services. Google Maps will eventually adopt the data of rationalized routes. Google will give real-time picture of snarls on road and thoroughfares to avoid so that a commuter finds a less-congested route to travel to his destination.

"We have a plan to make all private buses GPS-enabled so that they also come under this mapping system. The autos will also be brought under this system and that's why a number of studies are being undertaken. These studies will also make clear the modal split of the transportation," said a source.

Source:TOI