In the hunt for new name, BMTC delays its app launch

The 'Nimmbus' mobile app will help commuters in planning their trips, locating nearby bus stops, and checking the arrival time of the bus

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) muchawaited Nimmbus app, which will allow commuters to live track buses as well as buy tickets online, has been delayed once again.

However, this time around, the BMTC has said that they are brainstorming for a much more attractive name while also working on technical glitches. The BMTC was set to launch the application on December 23. It was then postponed to be launched on Republic Day.

The BMTC has claimed that the application has not yet been launched as several bugs were found during the soft launch which provided access to limited people. The application is supposed to help commuters track buses in real-time while also providing information on bus schedules, different routes and ticket fares. In all, the application’s objective is to make travelling on the bus hassle-free.

In 2016, the BMTC launched its first app, and after it did not turn out to be successful, launched another in the year 2019. This application too crashed owing to technical glitches. This time around, the BMTC is being cautious in making sure the application does not fail due to technical glitches.

Sathyavathi, the managing director of BMTC, said that the glitches found during the testing stages are being fixed, which will take more time. She has also added that the corporation is looking for a catchy alternative for the name. The corporation has an expectation of over 10 lakh downloads when the application is launched. It will be available for both Android and IOS users in the languages English and Kannada.

Over 5,000 buses from the fleet can be live-tracked on the app. While the full fleet of BMTC ranges up to 6000, GPS tracking devices have not been installed in a section of buses as they are on the verge of being scrapped. Duo develops portal to track buses A duo of bus enthusiasts Pravar Chaudhary and Chaitanya Deep have put together a portal (kia.bengawalk.com) recently.

However, it has no real-time tracking of buses. They have gathered static data timetables for Vayu Vajra buses from the BMTC website and have provided the information in a user-friendly manner.

Commuters travelling from the airport can access the portal without any hassle and find out details required for travelling through the BMTC. While some routes are not precise, they are updating them based on user feedback.

They have also said that they would incorporate real-time tracking if the BMTC implements an open data policy. The data available on the website of BMTC is in a tabular format, making it difficult for passengers to find out timings and locations.