A smart system to curb reckless driving and speeding by private buses in Greater Kochi has been put on hold indefinitely, The Hindu reported. Garudan was due to launch in August as a joint project of the Kochi City Traffic Police and the Kochi City Bus Monitoring Committee, which represents the operators of about 1,500 private buses.
How Garudan was meant to work
Bus crews would scan a QR code or swipe a card at RFID-based punching stations at a dozen points, including Vyttila, Menaka, Kaloor, Edappally, Kalamassery, Vypin, Thevara and Tripunithura. The system would compare each bus's real movements with its approved schedule, flagging delays, early departures, missed punches, route violations and skipped trips.
Buses that arrived at a station too early were to pay a fine, a key step against the racing between buses that leads to rash driving. The records would also serve as digital evidence for the police, the Motor Vehicles Department and the District Road Safety Council.
Why it is stuck
The launch has been delayed by technical problems and, allegedly, by disagreement among bus operators over raising money to run and maintain the system. One operator blamed a dispute over ₹3.8 lakh left in the previous committee's account, and said another ₹10 lakh is expected to come from CSR funds.
Navas K.M., secretary of the bus monitoring committee and himself a bus owner, said reckless driving by some operators began after time-punching cabins were removed from the city about 15 years ago.