Google will provide real-time information about buses to Delhi commuters
What's the story
The Delhi Government on Wednesday joined hands with tech giant Google to provide real-time information about buses to commuters and make public transport in the national capital more user-friendly. With this partnership with Google Maps, Delhi joins the league of global cities that provide seamless, real-time information about public transport, the city's Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said.
Collaboration
Hope other transit apps also move in the direction: Gahlot
"People will now be able to plan their journeys to the minute," he was quoted as saying in a statement. Gahlot expressed hope that the collaboration will encourage several other transit apps to tap into the open data portal of the transport department and create innovative solutions to make Delhi's public transport system the default choice for everyone.
Data
Location data of buses will be available in real-time
Once the project gets kicked off, static and dynamic location data of Delhi buses will be available for passengers in real-time. A commuter will get information on all the routes and bus stops, all bus arrival and departure times in real-time, and even by bus numbers. "There will also be updates on any delays," the statement said.
Quote
This will cut waiting time, reduce overcrowding
"This will cut waiting time and reduce crowding at bus stops and increase accountability of public buses," it said. "We're glad to work with the Delhi Transport Ministry in launching real-time information for DIMTS on Google Maps," said Ramesh Nagarajan, Director of Product Management, Google.
Experience
In 2018, Delhi Government had published Open Transit Data
"We are constantly exploring ways to make the Google Maps experience more useful and we hope the people of Delhi will benefit from having access to this information in making smart commuting choices especially in these times," he said. In 2018, the Delhi Government had published Open Transit Data with the technical support of Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi to provide real-time data.