New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi is set to relaunch a mobile app through which commuters will not only be able to view live data of all state-run buses in the city but also book their tickets online.
Called One Delhi app, it has been developed in collaboration with the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-Delhi).
Sources in the Delhi government’s transport department said the app, which will also contain details of the nearest electric charging stations, will be rolled out within the next fortnight.
The app will be open to Android users, to begin with, and will gradually also be available on IOS, ThePrint has learnt. “The idea is to make public transport accessible to everyone,” a senior government official said.
The app was initially launched in March 2019 but had fewer than 1,000 users. To promote the revamp, the government will offer a 10 per cent discount on bus tickets booked through the app, an official in the office of commissioner transport, Delhi, told ThePrint.
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How the app will work
Elaborating on the project, Pravesh Bhiyani, an associate professor at IIIT-Delhi who has been involved in the initiative, said the idea was to revamp the app with features that would actually benefit the public.
“Any person using an Android phone, for now, will be able to view the live data for moving buses, both the DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit) as well as DTC ones,” he said. “It will be just like one views the map while waiting for an Uber cab.”
He added that the open transit data through APIS (application programming interface) will show a departure board for each bus stop. Those waiting on the routes that a bus takes will receive live information on its movement and its arrival time at each of the stops.
Bhiyani also said that in a “first-of-its-kind” initiative in the country, the APIS has been integrated with Google Maps. “In simpler terms, a bus can be seen live on Google maps too,” he added.
Ticketing has also been included in the One Delhi app. The Delhi transport department had in March this year launched ticketless travel on another mobile app, the Chartr app.
While the Chartr app will continue to issue tickets, a transport department official told ThePrint that the One Delhi app is a unique Delhi government initiative as it will ensure all such facilities are available on a single mobile application.
Last-mile connectivity
Sources in the Delhi government further said that once the revamped version of the mobile app is launched, data on last-mile connectivity for the Delhi Metro will also be made available on it.
Last-mile connectivity refers to the commute from a metro station to places such as homes. It mostly includes specially designed E-rickshaws that operate within an area of about 3-5 km around metro stations.
This has been one of the biggest challenges for DMRC and the Delhi government.
ThePrint reached Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot as well as his office through calls and texts. ThePrint also reached AAP spokesperson Jasmine Shah and media coordinator Pritam Pal Singh through calls and text messages but there was no response until the filing of this report.
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
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