Bengaluru: Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will soon share its live bus-tracking data, enabling better journey planning and integration with other modes of transport. This follows a similar initiative by Namma Metro, which has partnered with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a govt-backed digital public infrastructure platform.An ONDC official said discussions with BMTC were at an advanced stage to share live bus-tracking data through the General Transit Feed Specification, a widely used public transport data format. BMRCL and auto-taxi aggregator Namma Yatri have already shared their data with ONDC.“They (BMTC) have already shared with us their historical journey data; we’re analysing that database to find the margin of error and gaps. Even other utilities like Delhi Transport Corporation are on this platform,” the official added.Commuters in Bengaluru can currently track Metro trains on the Purple, Green and Yellow lines with second-by-second updates through ONDC. A similar feature is not yet available for BMTC buses, for which commuters rely on estimated arrival times at bus stops and the Namma BMTC app, which is relatively less accurate.Once integration is implemented, third-party applications will be able to offer more accurate bus arrival information and help commuters coordinate journeys across transport modes. Namma Yatri, for instance, already offers cab and auto bookings aligned with a commuter’s Metro arrival time.BMTC ferries more than 40 lakh commuters daily. Sharing its live data could help improve connectivity between modes of transport and ease last-mile travel. Mobility activists have been demanding open access to BMTC’s data for over a decade.“The new BMTC managing director, Raghunandan Murthy, has been very proactive in making this happen. Open data could open up many possibilities and transform commuting in the city, with the potential of AI,” the official said. The transport corporation had earlier raised concerns about the commercial use of its live-tracking data.While no deadline has been fixed, officials are optimistic the integration will be completed by the end of the year.
