CH NEWS, KALABURAGI
Commuters are once again being forced to wait for buses without knowing their exact arrival times, as the ‘Namma Kalaburagi Sarige’ mobile application has remained inactive for the past few months.
The Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) launched the app on March 5, 2024, to modernise the city’s public transport system and help passengers plan their journeys. The application reportedly received a good response, with 66,383 users downloading it.
The app provided real-time information on bus locations, routes, schedules and expected arrival times at bus stops. However, commuters have recently been unable to access GPS-based bus tracking, with messages such as “Server busy” and “No response from server” appearing when the application is opened.
When the service was operational, passengers could track buses and time their arrival at stops accordingly. With the app unavailable, commuters are now forced to reach bus stops well in advance and wait without knowing when their bus will arrive.
Passengers who arrive late risk missing buses, while those who miss a service have no convenient way of checking when the next bus is expected.
The problem has particularly affected students, employees and senior citizens who depend on public transport every day. Around 150 city buses operate in Kalaburagi, serving an estimated 60,000 passengers, making the absence of real-time information a major inconvenience.
Passengers have complained that prolonged waiting at bus stops is also causing delays in reaching colleges and workplaces.
KKRTC Chief Technical Engineer Santosh GogerI said the application was developed by GIZ, a German international cooperation agency, in association with IIIT Delhi, and was provided to KKRTC free of cost.
“The app became inactive after GIZ stopped providing financial support. We have repeatedly requested GIZ to reactivate the application, but there has been no positive response,” he said.
GogerI said KKRTC had consequently decided to develop a new application independently. Discussions on the proposed application are currently at the preliminary stage.
