Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, made the Government’s position very clear at the inaugural session of PRAWAAS 2017 in Mumbai by stating that it is time to improve the travelling conditions for the Indian public and provide them world-class technology to ensure safe, smart and sustainable travel. He also made it clear that India should look to Europe and the successes of countries like the UK, Sweden and Germany in developing their bus industry and follow the example of companies like Greyhound in delivering a fully connected and safe journey along with the comfort and other features of popular modes of travel for Indian passengers.
Juxta by Trolex|Aporta of the UK is a product that answers this call precisely, and does so whilst also providing bus operators with new revenue streams and new ways to compete with other forms of transportation available to the public.
Juxta brings in European standards and the latest in digital on-board services to the Indian bus market. It is the preferred choice of some of the world’s leading bus brands such as Greyhound, Volvo and Scania, delivering the highest quality hardware, software, content package and fully managed services that help deliver safe, smart and sustainable journeys, for bus passengers around the world.
Security
The Government of India recently introduced a number of initiatives in response to increasing levels of criminality and anti-social behaviour taking in public transport. Juxta brings key services to bus operators that allow them to protect vulnerable passengers, bring assurance and comfort to their customers and help in delivering a safe and secure journey for all.
Juxta incorporates on-board cameras, with continuous recording and live-streaming to a control-room when required. Integrated into the Juxta platform is a ‘panic button’ capability, allowing passengers who feel threatened or unsafe, or who witness anti-social behaviour to instantly report an incident through their own mobile device, tablet or PC. As soon as a passenger hits the panic button the cameras ‘tag’ the moment and begin live streaming to a control room, and the information can be shared with the driver, local police and the operators at the head office.
In addition to the security features, Juxta also operates a luggage alert system designed to give passengers peace of mind and comfort in knowing their valuable luggage and belongings are where they are meant to be. Passengers purchase a tag and put it inside their luggage, and if the luggage is moved for any reason they receive a message directly on their mobile phone. The luggage alert system is a unique offering in the transportation sector.
Entertainment
Bringing the best in Hollywood, Bollywood and international TV, sports, games, comedy and news directly to passengers’ mobile phones, tablets and PCs on board the bus, Juxta is one of only two companies in the world licensed to bring the latest Hollywood films to the bus industry.
With over 250 hours of content and nine regional Indian languages, Juxta provides the biggest and best content selection available on ground transportation in India. Uninterrupted streaming for up to 70 passengers simultaneously along with Wi-Fi capability, all delivered through an attractive, branded web app means that Juxta is capable of transforming long boring journeys for passengers into a great opportunity to catch up on all the best film releases, Hollywood gossip, songs, games and important news – all free of charge.
Revenue generation
Of course there needs to be a commercial model that works for bus operators in India, and Juxta provides multiple opportunities to develop new revenue streams and develop incremental sales.
The entertainment system incorporates a standard revenue-generation platform so that operators can either charge customers for access to the portal or can package up the viewing audience figures and make deals with advertisers and sponsors. Further revenue streams from in-seat ordering, luggage alert subscriptions, data capture and sale and ticketing/seat reservation systems mean that an installed system can often become profitable within months of installation.
Trolex|Aporta offers a number of financing packages and revenue models that make a fleet-wide roll-out possible whilst controlling the initial costs to the operator.