State pushes to bring all buses under ‘Where Is My Bus’ tracking feature

Kolkata: The state Transport department, in coordination with the police, plans to bring all city and suburban buses, government and private, under the ‘Yatri Sathi’ App’s ‘Where Is My Bus’ feature ahead of Durga Puja.

The real-time bus tracking feature, launched on May 10, is currently on trial with 60 government buses on 16 airport-connecting routes. The state now aims to bring the entire bus fleet across Kolkata and its suburbs under the system before the festive season.

The plan was outlined at a high-level meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Transport secretary Saumitra Mohan and attended virtually by the state’s inspector general of police (Traffic). Private bus operators were urged to come forward to help fulfil the aim, which requires drivers or conductors to use a mobile application for tracking. The requirement of smartphones, however, has raised concerns among bus owners.

“A bus owner with five or six vehicles can’t afford to spend Rs 60,000 on phones,” said Pradip Narayan Basu, general secretary of the West Bengal Bus and Minibus Owners’ Association.

To ease the financial burden, the association proposed a tie-up with advertising agencies to brand buses in exchange for smartphones or financial support. “We suggested that the government facilitate a tie-up with ad agencies for bus branding. The state has accepted the proposal and will help finalise the arrangement.

The agency may either provide funds or directly supply smartphones,” Basu added. Once implemented, the system will enable commuters to track bus routes, live locations and estimated arrival times via their smartphones, improving reliability and planning.