In boost to passenger safety, nearly 95k vehicles in Maharashtra install tracking devices

Mumbai, Sep 14 (PTI) Nearly 95,000 passenger vehicles in Maharashtra are now fitted with mandatory tracking devices that allow real-time monitoring and onboard SOS alert facilities to boost commuter safety, especially for women, officials said on Sunday.

These GPS-enabled Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD) also allow authorities to pinpoint a vehicle's location instantly from the newly set-up control room at the Andheri RTO in Mumbai, a senior Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department (MMVD) official said.

"A total of 94,974 vehicles in Maharashtra have been equipped with GPS-enabled VLTD. It holds particular significance for ensuring the safety of women and children. If any onboard passenger presses the red-coloured panic button inside these vehicles, it generates an immediate alert on the control room panel with details of the vehicle and its real-time location," he explained.

The control room is manned 24x7 by assistant motor vehicle inspectors along with the staff of service providers, who follow the laid down standard operating procedure following the receipt of an SOS alert, the official added.

As per the Union government notification of November 28, 2016, Rule 125H was added to Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, which mandates that all public service vehicles (except two-wheelers, e-rickshaws, and three-wheelers) must have tracking devices and emergency buttons from January 1, 2019, to ensure round-the-clock traceability and quick rescue in case of distress, the official said.

"The control room became operational in October 2024, and vehicles fitted with VLTDs tracked since then include school buses and vans, tourist and luxury taxis, contract carriage buses, and stage carriage buses, among others," the senior MMVD official informed.

Maharashtra has a vehicle population of around 4.90 crore, which includes 3.99 lakh tourist and luxury cabs, 85,204 contract carriage and minibuses, 78,079 meter taxis, 47,523 stage carriage buses, and 38,492 school buses, among others. It also shows that a large number of passenger vehicles are yet to be fitted with VLTDs, officials pointed out.

"At present, VLTDs are mandatory only for vehicles registered after January 1, 2019. Once the Maharashtra government decides on VLTD installation for older vehicles registered before that date, almost all passenger vehicles are expected to be fitted with these in two years," the official said.

However, a major issue being faced is that many vehicle owners are not keeping the VLTDs in their vehicles operational, he said.

"Earlier this week, as many as 18,900 devices were reported to be non-functional, and only 76,085 were active. To overcome the issue of non-functional devices, letters have been written to Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) directing them to initiate action against such vehicles," the MMVD official said.

As per Motor Vehicles Rules, such violations may attract fines, suspension of permits, or even cancellation of fitness certificates, depending on the severity and duration of non-compliance, he pointed out.

The Maharashtra Transport Department had appointed Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to set up and operate a centralised control room at the Andheri Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Mumbai, the MMVD official said.

The initiative is partly funded through the Nirbhaya Fund, a corpus created by the Union Government to support efforts aimed at strengthening the safety and security of women in public transport and public spaces, he added. PTI KK BNM