Bus tracking and monitoring is going to be easier at the upcoming Baba Saheb Ambedkar Bus Terminus at Baramunda with the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) making fitment of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card mandatory for all the buses using the terminal.
Officials said there will be RFID readers at the entry and exit points of the terminal as well as at the bus bays where the vehicles will be tracked. RFID will monitor the arrival, departure and stay time of the buses.
They said there will be large LED display boards inside the bus terminal through which the drivers will be intimated about their respective bus bays. The display boards will also provide real-time information to the passengers waiting at the lobby.
“The RFID will help maintain a database of the buses. It will record the timing of the buses, their bays and also departure timing among others. This will help maintain a clean and hassle-free schedule of the buses,” a BDA spokesperson said.
He said there will be a command control centre inside the bus terminal from where movement of the buses will be commanded by the operators. “Such facilities are available at airports, which is going to be introduced in this bus terminal now,” he said.
The BDA has issued a notice asking the bus owners or their representatives to voluntarily reach the authority for the fitment of the RFID card, which can be done till February 22. The BDA said it will provide the RFID cards for the buses for free now.
“We are introducing state-of-the-art technologies for operationalisation of Baba Saheb Ambedkar Bus Terminal. RFID is one such technology that will help monitor and track the buses real time through a systematic platform,” BDA vice-chairman Balwant Singh said.
Sources said a dedicated website will also be launched for the bus terminal where passengers and other stakeholders will be able to get all kinds of information, including the schedule of both inter- and intra-state buses.
“The plans are really good but the authorities should ensure they are implemented correctly. It has been really long time since we are hearing about operationalisation of the bus terminus. It should be operational now,” social worker Alok Kar said.
 cards for real-time tracking. LED display boards will provide real-time information to drivers and passengers. The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) aims to maintain a clean and hassle-free schedule of the buses using the RFID technology.){kind=link}