Citizens have to struggle their way to get their regular service updates on railway mega blocks, traffic alerts, local timetable and BEST bus routes on multiple half-hearted websites.
Even as the London transport website offers live service updates on all modes of transit in six Indian languages, citizens in the “commuter city’’ of Mumbai have to struggle their way to get their regular service updates on railway mega blocks, traffic alerts, local timetable and BEST bus routes on multiple half-hearted websites, scattered newsletters and irregula r text messages.
The transport for London body is the executive agency in charge of most of the transport operations in the English city and has live service updates on buses, trains, tube, river ferry, trams, coaches, taxis and minicabs, all in one place. Commuters are updated with real-time daily disruptions and service upgrades with maps and graphics so that they could plan their journeys in advance, details of oyster card the common transit card and congestion charges.
The website is in 15 languages of which six are Indian (Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi, Tamil and Urdu). “Communication is important. We started making changes since 2007,’’ says Kristy Marshall, senior press officer, Transport For London.
Director of customer experience Shashi Verma told DNA from London that the Indian language web pages had a good response. “We have a significant Indian population here in London and the communication strategy is designed to address maximum number of customers,’’ he said.
Mumbai’s transport caters to nearly 13 million commuters everyday, including 7 million local train commuters, 4 million by BEST buses and the rest by autos and cabs but there is no categorical website or body that addresses service updates or issues in a unified manner.
While central and western railways run by central government update websites, BEST does so on its website. The Mumbai traffic police has separate updates and RTO and private cab operators address the issue in their own way. “There was an effort to form a unified body on the lines of Transport For London and it is called Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority, but it is a policy-making body with babus at helm,’’ a transport expert said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}