Experimenting with the new Namma BMTC App to find a bus in Bengaluru
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Navigating through the public transport of Bengaluru has proven to be difficult time and time again. The new Namma BMTC app is supposed to make this process easier, but how promising is it?
Does it make things easier or harder still?
Rukmini Ravishankar checks it out.
#bmtc #publictransport #bengaluru
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DH killing it with commute struggles coverage for Bangaloreans. Kudos to the presenter who points out the right issues with the app.
😂
Bus number 13c doesn't go to that stop it will go from mg road😂
Absolutely. Kudos to DH and to the journalist for properly capturing the problem that is stopping commoners from using the Namma BMTC app. I hope the developers take this constructive criticism and fix the bugs.
You are not bengalurian only kannadigas are
Google Maps is much better. Though it doesn't give the right timings always, the routes are correct and optimized. There is live stop by stop tracking also!
Exactly, with google maps we at-least know which bus to hop on and where to find it!
How to track?
Can you share the procedure to do so?
@@Joy_jester enter your destination in Google map. Select bus as the mode of travel from top. Then it will show list of bus to your destination.
@@Joy_jesterjust enter the destination and choose the mode of transportation
So happy that DH is covering Bangalore-centric issues that all of us can learn from. Great work. Also, very happy that the journalist is using Kannada to communicate with the people here!
Why, can't you guys speak in English or Hindi? 😂
@@aniketrt3327 imagine going to Japan and saying them why can't u speak Russian
@@aniketrt3327 because they don’t chew gutka
@@aniketrt3327 Because we dont migrate to work as security guards and sell panipuris🤭
@@pratheek152 Super guru. ivara baalana katharisabeku
Major problems with BMTC are;
1. Buses stops at middle of the road for boarding and alighting passengers, by choking the road.
2. Almost bus stops are occupied by auto rickshaws and parked vehicles.
3. Most buses are slow moving, where they are supposed to take extreme left lane, but the drivers take right lane choking the traffic.
4. Bus driver change lane like snakes from 3 track to 1st track left right and centre.
They need to be educated trained on these aspects
True v true .. sudden breaks and driver acts like goons abusing two wheelers
Another thing is that all the bus driver think they have to race each other every time. All competing with each other, trying to race in the middle road.
BMTC will not change its ways. They have actively discouraged (by suing the well intentioned developers) apps that track buses accurately using cheap methods. Imagine a govt organization that refuses UPI (they are aware that people will criticise, so UPI is technically available) in a country where even beggars use UPI. Plus they have refused to implement smart card. BMTC aims to be the worst public transport service on the planet and both the politicians and the bureaucracy is working day and night to ensure this.
Hey really good job with this episode! You were confident and addressed the right questions and presented your experience without any bias! Way to go!
Around 12 years ago I visited London, their transport system was very efficient. The bus stops were equipped with screens which showed which bus will arrive and how long it will take all real time information. They had one day pass which can be used in all three transport like metro train, bus and even water ways. We have all the talent but don't have the enthusiasm or motivation to do extra.
A good idea can be to just provide APIs to track buses and let other developers build on top of it.
Yes, bcz the UI is very bad
You're expecting too much from the sarkari babus (government bureaucrats)
Building accurate APIs is still gonna be tough..
problem is not with UI.
@@sharathwho4927 a student built it. They screwed him over and made this shitty app
Here I would like to say about MoBus service in Bhubaneswar. The app is very accurate and super smooth at the same time. It's really convenient and easy. Also, the buses are also comfortable and modern. I know the scale of Bhubaneswar cannot be compared to Bangalore but still if a small city can manage it, there can be a way to manage it in Bangalore as well.
Extremely disappointing. This should be a fairly simple application to develop, especially in the silicon valley of India and given the resources of BMTC. Great report by DH, keep up the good work!
It's not only about developing an application, BMTC currently has more than 6000+ buses and they'll have to install a GPS in every bus so I guess that's where they are facing some issues. And I've also read somewhere that the GPS that BMTC was supposed to get had some issues with soo..
Excellent work by DH.
A software capital, can't BMTC outsource to some software company.
This app very much needed for Bangalore and should have be done long before. I hope the BMTC fixes this app soon as it helps lot of people
How can commission be collected if the project is outsourced to a capable company.
Government Babus look for commission....they never want best quality apps or services...they focus on Blackmoney they can make from the money sanctioned for this project..
@@akhilchalil1585 true
DH. U guys are the kinda news channel we needed in blr.
ನಿಜಕ್ಕು ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು.
the app might not be good enough to use rn but it's a very commendable initiative, especially for those coming from other states who don't know kannada. Hope they'll fix the bugs with updates soon.
Google maps would be better to use for now. You can find necessary info to reach destination without needing to ask anyone
DH team, this is the kind of city beat that blr needs! even the metro vs road comparison video was awesome. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to more!
Rukmini brings out the real picture..an experiment worth its while
After ages Finally, seeing a content that is actually useful for civilians... Great work from a journalist 👏
Earlier pre pandemic there was a app called 'My BMTC'. It was the best one...with live tracking of the bus and showing exact location of the bus and the bus stop , if that could be revived or its features could be added into this would be very grateful.
Yes
Absolutely in love with this form of journalism!
The main benefit from this app is going to be the live update on the estimated arrival time. If that once feature is implemented correctly, this app will be a sure hit. There are alternative ways of knowing which bus(es) go from point A to B, but knowing the wait time would be a game changer.
it will make buses more crowded
Well MoBus in BBSR is awesome..truly user friendly and accurate…and MoBus is there since 2019 if I am not wrong..It is truly a underrated city..one of the best cities in India to live in according to me..I am not from Odisha , so no biased view…lived in BBSR during my Infy days
The stark contrast between a privately developed application and a government one was so visible.
The buses in Banglore are so confusing. They changed the bus stop near banashankari metro to I don't know where. People around that area are so confused right now.
She's still on Poco F1 .. impressive..
I travel to my college daily by bmtc . The thing is bmtc busses doesn't have any gps system so it's not possible to track them . Secondly the timings in the app and in google maps are based on timetable of these buses , so it shows the bus location or bus timings at different places based on this timetable. so if you find a bus haven't arrived at your stop for a long time then there are only 3possibilities : either the bus is late(any reason might be traffic too) or the bus was early or in very rare cases the bus is not operational on that route for that particular day
Great job and thank you for the analysis 👍🏼
Excellent video and thanks for recognizing the flaws in the app. I hope BMTC is listening
Tummoc bus pass feature is the best. Very smooth interface.
Madam is testing practical working of app ,Good work by madam ,it creates aware to passenger's
Good work by DH , it will force authorities to come up with better app, and eventually it helps the commuters great job please keep doing such video
Excellent presentation of real issues! Kudos
Very good reporting! Keep it up periodically and see if the Saarige Samsthe is paying any attention to you. If the information represented by the App becomes accurate in future, it will be a valuable tool.
You guys doing great 👍... Much appreciate.
love these video series from DH. Keep coming!!
Excellent journalism in bringing out the key pain points. Hope BMTC watches this and fixes these.
Superb usability study. As a UX designer if I had a study this deep it would be gold for me to improve the app..
One thing everyone needs to know is that the timings shown in any app should only be taken as tentative and not the actual timings, because unlike trains which run on dedicated tracks, buses travel on public roads used by so many other vehicles, which means they can get stuck in traffic, and traffic situation in Bangalore needs no introduction.
Earlier back in 2019 I used to use an app called myBMTC which had the similar features as mentioned in the new app and now I use Google maps to know about buses. The MyBMTC app which was a 3rd party app used to show the bus positions in real time, we could literally see the location of the bus on the app, and the bus would appear in front of us. It was very handy and useful. I used it a lot when I was new in Bangalore.
Hey rukmini, it's great to see you working for DH. Even I gave this BMTC app a try but all the points you told are true. For now, I only find it useful to find what bus to take to which destination.
The problem is for people like me...who travel daily by bus..it costs me 5-10 rs for one sided trip..now tell me. ..who ll buy this pass...when on monthly bases I am spending not more than 300-600 rs..and daily getting change for payments is another headache
I remember in 2017-2018 tracking busses using the BMTC app when I was travelling regularly to college and other places in BMTC. That worked like a charm! Not all busses had the GPS tracker in it but which did have, were tracked perfectly.
Not sure what was the necessity to reinvent the wheel. If the previous app would have been built better, we would have had state of the art bus tracking by now.
other cities like indore and jaipur already have it
When you realise Namma Google is more accurate and reliable with BMTC bus routes & tracking than Namma BMTC! 😆
On a serious note, that was an excellent real-world test with good suggestions for BMTC. Kudos to DH and Rukmini.👏
The app is a great initiative and I look forward to BMTC improving it quickly based on user feedback. 👍
kudos to you guys...doing great job....it is difficult to track bus through this app
DH is doing a very good work.... Showing practical problems to people.... It's a great work from DH this is called Media with good content & finally BMTC Successfully failed once again....
This wht journalist is N some kannada news channel need to learn frm u n hats off fa ur effort N information fa public... 👏👏🙏🙏
Great job on the coverage, this needs to be brought to the bmtc officials
Damn. classy journalism. way to highlight issues and the needs of public!
The older app developed by a young person was better and more accurate. Second, many buses when late, do not go upto the designated stop but stop somewhere and turn back. This used to happen to G9, where it's supposed to start at MG Road Metro but they turn back from shivaji nagar.
Kudos to your effort to experience the practical situation of normal people..
Great report ,while the app is being improved , BMTC can put up simple printouts at each stop showing which Bus no stops here with final destination and frequency Ex: 13-C -Shivajinagar Every 20 minutes
Nicely done! appreciate this real review of government services!
ideally they should put trackers on the bus, which can then provide real time info.. Will be so useful for commuters and it allows the commuters to plan especially when the frequency is less.. It seems they are just giving static info based on pre-defined schedule and buses follow their own schedule or traffic dependent!
Unfortunately Bangalore is the IT hub of India. But we don’t have a good app to travel within the city. We have to learn a lot from foreign countries!
If this can be fixed lot of people would take a bus! It can reduce the traffic problem as well.
Good
I believe these are the real things that News channels should be covering
I use Google Maps and it has given me accurate live tracking and routes almost 90% of the time. Not sure why they are struggling to reinvent the wheel here :D
You just showed literally none of the features in the app works properly. The day pass isn't handled by this app so no points there either. Nice, honest review. 👌
BMTC should learn something from Gujarat BRTS. Be it Surat or Ahemdabad, bus always comes on the time shown on Google maps. Plus the route information and ticketing system is super easy on the dedicated app. On some routes you don't even see conductor on the bus because the infrastructure is built the way everyone would need to purchase a ticket for exiting bus stop.
Absolutely on the point. Great work 👏👍🏼
Good job highlighting the areas of improvement. The app can integrate Google s direction which will be useful for the commuters.
Google Map is not free...its super costly for Apps... Apps have to pay for it..
@@vinaybhat7670 Govt can afford the costs for the tax payers.
Happy to see the channel focused on this issue 👍
Great job...pragmatic effort and citizen pain shown
Many buses doesn't have live tracking yet :(
DH amazing guys this is called ADAPTING TO THE TREND now this is how u can still be relavent in this DIGITAL ERA of social media.
I’m saddened to see such incredibly bright children stuck in a horrible and unsupportive environment. It is such a terrible thing to waste such brilliant talent. It is no surprise that a vast majority of the young talent in the country want to get out to any country they can think of. I know a lot of people will get very upset about my comments but it is time for Indians to get their heads out of the sand and do something about this. Perhaps their leadership is to be blamed but then India is a democracy!
if it is state govt funded , the app is meant to help the person who signed the contract with the app maker , not the app user . there are many apps like this across all departments of the state and BBMP administrations.
Great coverage DH team. It is quite surprising that in this day and age BMTC team is not able to track the buses accurately. It seems to be a rushed product which hasn't undergone rigorous testing and QA.
Not sure what technology they're using to track the buses. Whatever they're doing, I hope they work actively on addressing all grievances and make it easier for the commuters.
Finally someone spoke about this. I was facing this issue
Excellent work by journalist and dh
Very good reporting. This app can be very helpful, and hopefully the fixes will be implemented soon.
It was very useful for me to use it on the airport line, it was as reliable as possible
I used to leave home everyday when the bus was at a calculated landmark
Google maps does the same thing with better navigation towards next bus location.
BMTC app is more usable if GPS system in all Busses are tracked properly and mapped to Bus number correctly.
Getting Bus pass and verifying using QR is really handy...
A very realistic effort and kudos to the Anchor and team for experimenting with BMTC app lively. This is not yet Singapore where you get on dot and time the specified bus to stop atvBud stop.. BMTC need to graduate on this effort. Secondly tgetecare no designated bus stop for passenger at designated stops and no shelter during rain also. Thirdly with go soon attitudes and cover up missed trips drivers cut short the trip or never turn up. Fourthly notorious traffic jam cannot match with app timings. BMTC time table is misnomer to passengers. There are many colors buses confusing passengers. BMTC app works very well for taking money but not providing timely scheduled. Anyhow your effort is laudable. With free bus for all women passenger this app will be buried soon
More News channels, must do more such work and more newspapers as well!!
Good job DH!
BMTC get your act together and operations fixed!! Politicians and "leaders" - this is where you need to put your mind to
Bengaluru - IT capital of the world - 🙄
App should also have a run symbol at few stops to indicate bus won't stop and u need to run jump out of bus or get into...
the same has been done by OSRTC years ago, from 2019 i guess and the implimentation was good so its still running strong.
thanks a lot. hope BMTC people look at this mess they have created and address these.
Good initiative by DH team to test real time features. Cheers
India as a whole should hire the consultants who worked on Singapore public transport, just went there, and everything shown on a single app by combining different modes of transport which are buses and metro, and all the info was correct, including the timing, the buses too came at exact time (+/- 1 min).
In India currently only metro have a system close to it. But buses are nowhere near it. And nothing till yet on a single app that provides a route which is fastest and efficient by combining both metro and buses.
For this to work the buses would also need to be operated on time, which also is not done still
Let's be honest, how many clicked on the video just to see her? 😂
Same goes for Chartr for Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses . Even if the bus is coming the application doesn't shows it.
Gurugaman is much better aap for Gurugram buses . It shows real time location of buses with occupancy too
The tummoc app also has good ways to plan bus trips, in theory. I say in theory, because the buses just exist on paper, and when I try to see the buses at the stop, which are supposed to stop at the bus stop, it doesn't even pass through there. Metro Feeder buses especially.
The issue is, I’m pretty sure that the drivers and the conductors are not connected to this app.
It requires human intervention, for updating if the bus has crossed a particular stop. If the driver is not updating his stops, how will it be tracked precisely
Very relevant analysis and story. Thank you DH
Excellent job at reviewing the app! 👏👏
Good job guys..DH
BMTC should work on the App and make sure all the bugs are fixed.
I remember travelling to college and back everyday 10 years ago and this was the same issue back then. Also, I knew my bus routes so I’d pretty much figured out the system. But now after so many years if I need to travel by bus I’ll lose my mind, it’s super inconvenient.
thanks for covering banagalore city journey problems
Hey, a great video for someone like me who just landed here.
awesome, much needed investigation
I tried Live Bus tracking often, it won't show only
It doesn't even work properly.
Still lot of improvement is required for this app...I think still it's in testing phase...
excellent coverage DH, i also was waitng using this app, then hops any next bus which came my way.. not sure, if anyone is working on the features..
I am reminded by the small changes that are needed to make Bangalore more liveable for all. Where the will is there, a way will appear.
With the kind of traffic in Bengaluru, no buses will come on time. The app will need to in sync with a GPS that needs to be installed on every bus for real-time tracking. There's no other way you can tell the location and route of the buses.
The first bus stand where you were waiting at has very few buses that goes to shivajinagar, as the destination is walkable from that stop.
You walked further to the spot where u wanted to take a bus instead you could have gone to the bus stop opp to church street which has bus numbers 13,37,32 coming which goes to shivajinagar.
The app should have mentioned this fact. It said a 13C bus is coming at that stop which is why she went there. But it never came. Any outsider unfamiliar with Bangalore roads would have followed the app and gotten misled.
Thank you for the detailed coverage
😂 Same thing happened to me. I waited for like 1 hour and at last booked rapido haha.
thaks for making video on this topic..
Wow DH. This is why Bangalore love DH
The app for buying passes - Tummoc existed from a very long time. This new app for live tracking the bus is completely lacking.
biggest problem with Indian transit is data accuracy and open access to the data, so many buses but no data on where they are headed and what the route is.
instead of making their own apps, they could just work with apple maps, google maps, transit app, etc to just generate accurate data that those apps could use.
there is no shortage of apps, issue is accurate data
This app essentially doesn't solve anything from what i can understand in the video. We already have Google maps which is far more reliable (in terms of UX), ame problems exist in maps too. The tummoc pass ia only a good value if you are going to travel a lot, for regular commuters it's useless since our tickets would cost way less. The only thing convenient is that now i can see the route of the bus by putting in the number, which is just a good to have feature, nothing important.
Not just the app but the entire operating crew bus driver conductor needs to be made aware of this app and made to follow proper schedule. Only then it can be reliable.