The Delhi Transport Corporation plans to work with IIT Kanpur to develop an AI-based bus management system. Officials said the project will improve public transport services by using machine learning for duty allocation and ticketing. This move aims to modernise operations as the government seeks to expand its bus fleet.
The Delhi Transport Corporation is planning to work with IIT Kanpur to develop an artificial intelligence-based bus management system, officials told news agency Press Trust of India.
The Delhi government, which is seeking to expand its public bus fleet, plans to upgrade the existing system by using AI and machine learning to improve public transport services.
"The matter was discussed in a meeting, and it was decided to collaborate with IIT Kanpur's AIRAWAT Research Foundation on areas such as dynamic duty allocation, payroll management, complaint management, marshal verification and other operational processes," an official told PTI.
The DTC currently has around 6,269 buses, including 4,500 electric buses, operating from 52 depots across Delhi. Officials said the new system would also include existing CNG and cluster buses that currently use outdated software.
According to the plan, the bus management system will handle the distribution, allocation and management of electronic ticketing machines. "The system will also enable depot-wise and duty-wise mapping of electronic ticketing machines to buses, drivers and conductors, along with tracking their distribution, return, status and use," the plan said.
The system will be linked with fare collection platforms to synchronise and validate ticketing data, reconcile revenue, and support operational monitoring and reporting without manual intervention.
"The software will also be required to reschedule DTC bus routes if the traffic police make any changes in real time," officials told PTI.
The proposed system will also use AI to optimise electric bus charging and improve the use of the fleet.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier said the government planned to increase its bus fleet to 14,000 by 2028-29, while the number of bus depots could rise to 90.
The proposed collaboration with IIT Kanpur is aimed at modernising the management of the expanding fleet and improving key operational processes.