IoT based passenger information system optimized for Indian metros

Public transport plays a crucial role in meeting a city's transportation needs. Moreover, it helps reduce traffic congestion and vehicular pollution. In India, buses are the preferred mode of transit due to their cheap fare and extensive routes. The major obstacles to their usage are: 1) overcrowding and 2) uncertainty in arrival time. Crowd estimation techniques using cameras, infrared lasers at entrances are not suitable for Indian metros. Hence, our paper proposes a solution leveraging the Internet of Things. We have simulated the handheld Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMS) used by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) conductors via an android application. Crowd estimation is done by maintaining a list of “live” tickets (on-board passengers) of each bus at the server side. The ETMs communicate with the server via an Application Programming Interface (API). The Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver built into the ETM is used for real time tracking of the buses thereby notifying passengers about the bus arrival time. The crowd information and location of the bus are displayed in the client side android application embedded with Google Maps. This solution empowers passengers to take better decisions by bridging the information gap between passengers and bus operators.