Glitches in MTC’s ‘Chennai Bus’ app put commuters to hardship: survey

The survey, carried out by the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group, comprised 500 respondents. The app’s problems include frequent freezing, inaccurate bus information, poor precision of GPS, lack of details, and infrequent schedule updates

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) introduced the ‘Chennai Bus’ app a few years ago and launched it on iOS this year. While the application was intended to help commuters check bus schedules and routes in real time, users have run into several problems with regard to its functionality, and the MTC administration has been made aware of these issues.

The Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) carried out a survey, taking suggestions from 500 commuters to help improve the app’s functionality and promote its use. The report ‘Enhancing Urban Mobility’, which was compiled by Divya Arvind, a CAG researcher, published in November, details the findings of the survey.

It pointed out that while over 50% of MTC commuters had downloaded the app, only 7% actually used it. The reason for this was because they faced problems such as frequent freezing, inaccurate bus information, poor precision of the global positioning system (GPS), lack of details (such as ticket prices), and infrequent schedule updates.

While the MTC has installed GPS in a majority of its fleet of nearly 3,400 buses, the study has detected technological glitches in the app, leading to inaccurate location tracking of the vehicles. The survey respondents wanted the MTC to rectify this. They wanted the MTC to ensure that any changes made to schedules, bus routes, and special services are quickly updated on the app, and also requested that it provide detailed information on the types of buses being operated on various routes.

Alby John, MTC Managing Director, said the ‘Chennai Bus’ app would undergo a major upgrade soon.

Published - November 29, 2024 07:55 pm IST