BMTC celebrates Silver Jubilee, launches mobile app with women's safety features

Sowmya Raju | NT

Bengaluru: On September 25, 2023, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) celebrated its Silver Jubilee, marking 25 years of service to the city of Bengaluru.

The event was attended by the Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy, and Dr C N Manjunath, Director, of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research.

Over 500 people attended the event, including BMTC employees, government officials, and members of the public. Several bus drivers were also awarded for their outstanding service. In his speech, the Transport Minister praised the BMTC for providing affordable and reliable public transportation.

He also highlighted the corporation's various initiatives to improve its services. Dr Manjunath emphasised the importance of public transportation in reducing traffic congestion and pollution.

He compared driving to an angiogram, explaining how one mistake in an angiogram can cost a life, just as one slipup by a BMTC driver can cause a major accident. He commended BMTC drivers for saving lives every day by taking on so much responsibility.

IAS Upendra Tripathy also expressed his happiness at BMTC reaching its 25th anniversary. He shared how talking to conductors, drivers, mechanics, and passengers had helped him understand the ground-level issues and develop solutions to resolve them.

The managing director of BMTC, Sathyavathi. G, IAS, shared her joy and elation at BMTC completing 25 years under her management. She expressed her goal to make BMTC the best transport service in the country.

The BMTC later in the day said that it has received funds from the Government of India to implement a mobile app with women's safety features, an in-bus surveillance system, and a passenger information system.

The app will have a panic button for women passengers to seek remote assistance in case of emergency The Silver Jubilee celebrations also included a cultural programme, featuring Bharathanatyam and Dollu Kunitha.

On the occasion of the silver jubilee celebration, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has launched the Namma BMTC mobile app, an advanced mobile application that can be used by women commuters to seek remote assistance in case of emergency.

The app includes a number of other features such as estimated time of arrival of buses at bus stops and destinations, geolocation and text search to help users find nearby bus stops, route planner, SOS button for women's safety, location sharing option with their contacts, information about nearby ATMs, restaurants, hospitals, police stations, and parking areas around the bus stops and so on to improve the experience of all BMTC passengers.

The app also includes a number of features that are specifically designed to improve the experience of women commuters. For example, the app can be used to track the movements of women passengers when they seek support.

The app also includes a centralised helpline for providing assistance to women commuters in distress. The Managing Director of BMTC Sathyavathi. G said, “The app has received funding from the Government of India under the Nirbhaya Scheme to implement the Namma BMTC Mobile App with women safety features.”

The app is part of a larger initiative by BMTC to improve the safety of women commuters on its buses. If the app functions as promised, can help to improve the safety and convenience of public transportation in Bengaluru.