3,000 ‘smart buses' to be added to ST fleet

Hindustan Times

16-05-2025

MUMBAI: Against the backdrop of the recent rape within a State Transport (ST) bus in Pune, and amid incidents of drunk-driving by ST drivers, the transport department on Thursday announced a plan to buy 3,000 so-called smart buses, with features that will include anti-theft lock systems and burglar alarms, and breathalysers that prevent the bus from starting if the driver is inebriated.
The new buses would help extend the ST fleet as well. A tender had in fact been floated for 3,000 new buses. Now, all those buses will need to have a certain set of eight smart features.
The transport department held a meeting on Thursday with bus manufacturers and a safety consultancy and it was decided that all 3,000 new buses should be smart vehicles.
As such, each vehicle will now come fitted an anti-theft system that will sound an alarm if someone tries to enter a locked ST vehicle. This, it is felt, could help prevent incidents such as the rape at Swargate, Pune. The digital breathalyser system in front of driver's seat will ensure that no inebriated driver can take the wheel.
The foam-based fire-control system would be an aide in any kind of blaze. The Global Positioning System or GPS feature would ensure that every bus can be tracked at all times. Artificial intelligence or AI-aided closed-circuit TV cameras would monitor all activity within a bus. An LED TV could be used to broadcast emergency messages from government authorities and live telecasts, and would generate revenue through the day by screening advertisements. In a worst-case scenario, if all other measures fail or in case of an unforeseen event, a panic button installed for passenger safety could be used to alert control rooms to a mishap, accident or crime underway.
Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said the three bus manufacturers who attended Thursday's meeting have been informed that every vehicle will need to come fitted with all these features. 'We have told them to the present a sample smart bus by the end of the month, after which they may submit their proposals,' Sarnaik added.
Once a model has been approved, the companies will submit their bids, in response to the tender. 'The high-tech features will definitely add the cost of each bus. But the safety of the passenger is more important,' Sarnaik said.
The recent incidents involving ST vehicles have certainly raised questions about passenger safety. In the first of the most major recent cases, a 26-year-old was raped in a bus parked at the Swargate depot in February. A history-sheeter was allegedly captured on a CCTV camera, fleeing the scene; was later arrested and has since been charged. Meanwhile, also in February, a bus carrying 44 passengers crashed into a median on the Pune-Solapur Highway, in a case of alleged drink-driving. There were no serious injuries.