Delhi DTC buses are set for an artificial intelligence-led management upgrade covering routes, maintenance, staff duties, electronic ticketing and passenger data, as the Delhi government seeks to modernise the city’s public transport system. The Delhi Transport Corporation is preparing a new software platform based on AI and machine learning to manage its expanding fleet and operations.
According to a report by Jagran – New Delhi, DTC has invited requests for proposals from specialist companies. The selected firm will first study the corporation’s existing bus operations before designing a digital framework for electric, compressed natural gas and other buses in the fleet.
The proposed system will upgrade the existing bus management platform and link it directly with electronic ticketing machines and fare collection systems. Electronic ticketing machines would be mapped digitally to individual depots, buses, drivers and conductors. The system is also expected to record when machines are issued, returned or reported faulty, reducing manual work in the preparation of revenue reports.
DTC currently operates more than 6,500 buses from 52 depots, according to the report. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has set a target of increasing the fleet to 14,000 buses and the number of depots to 90 by 2028-29. The proposed AI platform is intended to support the management of that larger network.
The software is expected to allow real-time changes to bus routes and schedules based on directions from the traffic police. It is also intended to provide information on expected bus arrival times and delays. The system would bring route planning, driver and conductor duty allocation, and electric-bus charging management into a common digital framework.
For electric buses, the proposed monitoring system is expected to track battery capacity and charging requirements. It may also help identify technical faults before they affect operations, while providing data on CCTV coverage and passenger numbers in real time. The report does not specify the technology provider, project cost, deployment schedule or the final technical standards for the system.
The plan comes as DTC prepares to manage a mixed fleet and a substantially larger operating network. Integrating fleet operations with ticketing, maintenance, staffing and charging could give the corporation a single view of daily bus performance, but the effectiveness of the system will depend on the quality of the operational data and the implementation process.
The next step is the selection of a specialist company through the proposal process. That company is expected to assess the present system before preparing the new AI-based software framework for DTC’s buses and depots.
