Bengaluru: This chip can make bus drivers fall in line!

Bengaluru: We have seen and suffered haphazardly parked vehicles, especially buses, leading to traffic jams on our roads during our daily commute. A significant part of the problem is undesignated parking slots for these public buses, believes Mr Chetan Prasad, a 52-year-old innovator and entrepreneur from Bengaluru.

He has come up with a technical solution which, when fitted to buses and bus stands, forces the driver to park at the exact location of the stop. “Public buses never stop where they are supposed to. People always have to run to catch these buses and since they stop farther away or a little before the curb, they create jams. This technology will programme the doors in such a way that unless they stop at the designated stop, the doors will not open.” he says.

Called Invisible Bus Bay, Mr Prasad says he has been working on it for the past 15 years and this is the most advanced version. The crucial part of the technology comes in a pair of microprocessors and needs to be fitted into the bus and a pole at the bus stop. The chip in the bus will be programmed to gauge the distance between the bus and the bus station and allows the doors to open only at the exact spot.

“Both chips are fitted with sensors that sense the distance and alignment with the pole. It can sense difference in parking of even a few inches. I’ve been developing this for years and this is its best form,” he says.

In addition to the two chips, the technology also has an additional emergency button, which can be used in case of an untoward incident, he says.