Bengaluru: In future, public transport users in Bengaluru will be hooked on to an app named TRAFI for their real-time information about all available public transport modes in the city, wherever they are, while on the go. By the start of next year, if you’re a regular commuter, you may soon be able to check the expected time of arrival of your bus. You may even see your bus moving on the map of your app as it proceeds to your bus stop, just the way your Uber or Ola does as it comes to pick you up.
So bus users can avoid endless wait for buses… if they have a smart phone, this app will accurately show the expected time of arrival of buses. TRAFI app developers have integrated data such as routes and coordinates of Metro services and BMTC services for urban Bengaluru and the app as of now is doing fine, but sans the real-time GPS coordinates of BMTC buses.
TRAFI is eagerly waiting to integrate the real-time GPS coordinates of the BMTC buses so that the app can inform its users about the precise prediction data such as location and the expected time of arrival.
“BMTC, the giant corporate of the Silicon capital of India, is the first company in the country which has invited us and proactively told us that they want to share the real-time data of their bus movements with us for the convenience of commuters. However, they (BMTC) are awaiting a government nod as it has to come officially from the transport ministry,” said Rajarshi Rakesh Sahai, Country Manager in Indiafor TRAFI.
“As soon as the real-time data with GPS coordinates becomes available, the data will be integrated into TRAFI, and the app will be able to tell you with an accuracy of +/- one minute or less than one minute even as to when the bus is arriving at your bus stop, so that transitions between modes of transport will become even faster for a commuter,” he said. He added, “The aim is to make transport for a commuter multi-modal and to discourage personal vehicle use.”
The other point of value here is that the app’s route suggestions are very versatile. Usually a transport portal would indicate there is no direct connectivity from one point to the other and leave it at that, whereas TRAFI will get you details of your route in customized options.
You can get guidance from the app by choosing your route details, such as shortest distance possible, less time, less changeovers etc. For instance, the app will suggest to a commuter how to reach (taking less time) from point A to C through B even if A to B has bus connectivity and B to C has Metro connectivity.
The app is equipped with enough artificial intelligence to be able to give the user various permutations and combinations in terms of less stressful, less time, less changeovers, etc.
The international public transport app, which is the most precise prediction engine for public transport in the world, was launched in the month of April this year in Bengaluru, Mumbai and later in Pune and has been known to be doing great in around 50 to 60 developed cities in the world.
App developers in these three cities are almost done with integration of all data of public transport modes available in the respective cities. “In Mumbai, even data of boat trips from Gateway of India to Elephanta Caves have been integrated into this app,” said Rajarshi Rakesh Sahai. He adds, “We are open to integrating more modes of transport such as taxis, rickshaws, motorbike taxis etc. available in a given city.”
