OSRTC Bags Digital Technology Award

Bhubaneswar : In a major achievement the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) has bagged the prestigious Indian Express Technology Sabha Award 2020. The Depot Management System of the OSRTC has been chosen under Enterprise Applications Category for the award.

Indian Express Technology Sabha Awards are given to the Government departments that demonstrate an innovative use of a particular technology or a combination of technologies for distinct benefits to the stakeholders. The OSRTC has introduced IT solution in Depot Management System (DMS) to improve its operations and efficiency. It is a dynamic system of customized modules that work together to effectively support and maximize productivity on the ground and in the offices.

The objective of the system is to generate reports on a daily and monthly basis capturing the daily income, expenditure, passengers and luggage information for each trip. The system is able to collect and record other information like trip suspension, delay in arrival and departure and accident details for report generation and analysis.

“OSRTC is one of the lifelines in transportation sector in Odisha with a fleet of nearly 462 buses. Operating such a large fleet of buses comes with its own challenges. Managing 23 depots across the state is one such challenge. Thus, OSRTC decided to introduce an IT solution for DMS in order to streamline and automate its processes thereby bringing a higher degree of efficiency and effectiveness to its operations,” said Arun Bothra, Chief Managing Director of OSRTC.

Elaborating further on Management Information System (MIS), Bothra informed, the programme captures all data related to daily operational activities of OSRTC’s depots and Head Office. It integrates all information on income sources, including ETM and Online Booking and brings them to a single platform, thereby enhancing visibility and accessibility of data across various business divisions. “This system has already become a profit-making tool for the organization through parameter analysis.”

While the buses are not running in full strength, OSRTC is utilizing this time to improve operations further by doing training and capacity building. “We are using Covid time to enhance skills and capabilities of the employees by organizing virtual training programme, Bus Pathsala,” said Mr Bothra.

Experts from Germany, Hong Kong and various states of India in association with GIZ, Odisha State Directorate of Technical Education & Training, Odisha Skill Development Authority, Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors and Eicher India are taking virtual classes on passenger-centric approaches and better maintenance practices for bus operations. All the officers and staff of OSRTC including drivers, conductors and technical personnel are attending the training programme on virtual mode from their respective locations.