Transport Authority introducing public passenger app for commuter safety

Come January, the Transport Authority will be launching a ‘Travel Pal’ application which will enable commuters to use their mobile devices to scan the registration plates of public passenger vehicles (PPV) to verify if they are licensed by the agency.

This was announced by Transport and Mining Minister Robert Montague during Tuesday’s launch of the ‘Drive Safe’ app at the Ministry’s offices on Maxfield Avenue in St Andrew.

Montague said Travel Pal app will also allow users to share information on their location with family and friends when using a PPV “so that if anything happens to you, we can track the vehicle”.  

He added that the app will have a panic feature which will be linked to the police 119 system, “[so that] if you are in the vehicle and something happens, you can hit the button and the police will know exactly where you are.”

Additionally, commuters will be able to rate operators’ service or file a complaint if dissatisfied.

Montague said the app is a security mechanism that “gives commuters the tools to make their journeys safer,” adding that “we are empowering [persons] to make wiser decisions in selecting licensed public transportation”.

The initiative is part of the Ministry’s 16-point plan geared at reforming the public transportation system.

Montague pointed out that one of the key strategies in the plan is the introduction of digital training, monitoring and enforcement mechanisms geared at formalising the PPV sector, empowering commuters by giving them greater access to PPV-related information and reporting tools, as well as enhancing the Transport Authority’s intelligence capabilities for undertaking targeted road-monitoring interventions.

Other measures aimed at enhancing safety on the roadways, which he said are being pursued, include the procurement of driving simulators for placement at motor vehicle examination depots islandwide.

The transport minister indicated that the Transport Authority has already approved the purchase of some of the simulators, noting that their introduction is aimed at improving the competence of learner drivers. 

“I will be placing one simulator in every motor vehicle examination depot in this country in short order, so that you will now have to do a road code test. You must know the road code before you get your learners licence,” he emphasised.

Montague also indicated that the Ministry is exploring the possibility of digitising the written test for licence applications.

- JIS News

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