Pune: Rasta Peth resident Sudhakar Pakhle's long wait in the rain at a bus stop near Golibar Maidan on Saturday was cut short thanks to the local transport utility's Apli PMPML app. Pakhle had been waiting for some time for a bus to Tilak Road when he remembered Pune Mahanahar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited's (PMPML) new mobile application. "I checked it by entering the bus number to find that the bus was far away and running behind schedule.
I couldn't wait any longer, and so, took an autorickshaw. If it were not for the app, I would have been waiting in anticipation of the bus for long," Pakhle said. In just a little over a week since its launch, around 1 lakh people have downloaded the app, a senior PMPML official said.
The app has evoked a mixed response from commuters. "There are some features, but the app is not user-friendly. The journey planner is confusing, and it shows the bus number, which most people are not aware of.
PMPML needs to work on it to simplify things. However, the provision of buying tickets and passes online is commendable," PMP Pravasi Manch senior member and commuter Sanjay Shitole told TOI. Yashwant Gadge, an NIBM Road resident, said the app had to be in Marathi as well as English.
"Most people who take buses don't know English. Moreover, many don't even know how to use smartphones, let alone apps. I think the app will cater to only a limited number of people.
" Ravi Gupta, who lives in Hinjewadi and is an IT professional, said he can't use the app as he has an iPhone. "The application isn't available on iOS. They should have created the application for iOS users too," he said.
Around 1,600 buses of PMPML are operational each day currently, and the daily ridership is over 11 lakh. "The app is still in its testing phase, but the response is good. More features will be added, and the application will go through updates too," a senior transport body official said.
Deepa Mudhol Munde, the chairman-cum-managing director of PMPML, told TOI that primarily, the application was related to live bus tracking and paperless ticketing. "However, new features, such as a panic button system for passengers will be added after discussions and planning with all stakeholders. We are checking all the systems, and necessary changes will be made," Munde said.
HL: PANIC BUTTON IN THE OFFING Apli PMPML features Information on all buses and their routes Live bus tracking Issuing of tickets and passes for PMPML buses Issues tickets for Pune Metro too Complaint registration centre A panic button for passengers will be added soon, officials say.
