The state government has decided that school bus and pool car operators must register their vehicles on a mobile app so that parents and owners can keep track of them.
The tracking will be done with the help of vehicle location tracking devices (VLTD) that will be fitted to the vehicles.
The state government will share a link to download the free app on mobile phones.
The transport department has engaged the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), under the ministry of electronics and information technology, to develop the mobile app that will address the concern of a section of parents who
eagerly wait for their children to return from school every day.
The software that comes installed in vehicle location tracking devices will be synchronised with the mobile application so that all information, including the vehicle’s exact location, expected time of arrival, route and other relevant data, gets automatically transferred to the mobile application, a senior official of the transport department said.
“The application is in the final stage of scrutiny. We have met a section of school bus and pool car operators and explained to them about the app, how it functions and its benefits,” the official said.
The state government has made it mandatory for owners of all commercial vehicles to install vehicle location tracking devices to clear the fitness test. While the new vehicles now have the device installed on them before rolling out of the showrooms, owners of old ones need to get it installed on their own.
Figures from the transport department suggest around 700 school buses and close to 1,500 pool cars operate in and around Kolkata ferrying students.
Around 190 school buses and just about 450 pool cars have the tracking device on them, officials said.
“The parents now call up owners of pool cars to know about the location of the vehicles and the expected time of arrival of their children. But once this application is made available, parents would be able to track the vehicles. This is a good move by the state government,” said Sudip Dutta of the Pool Car Owners’ Welfare Association.
“The tracking device has been of great help to the owners. Now it would help the guardians.”
Senior transport department officials said the state government will reach out to schools asking them to maintain a record of all commercial vehicles, including school buses and pool cars, used for daily commutes.
The vehicles will have to be separated into different groups depending on the zones of the city where they operate. Schools will have to maintain a register with the names of students and the registration number of vehicles they use for daily commutes.
“We want the school authorities, drivers, helpers and guardians to download this free app on their mobile phones. In case of an emergency, all of them would be instantly alerted,” the official said.
