Shuttl to Roll Out ‘Safe’ Buses in India Which Scan Your Face

Shuttl is India’s largest app-based bus service and we take a closer look at the tech that makes the bus tick.

Shuttl prototype bus that will be available soon.

(Photo: The Quint)

Taking the daily transit bus to work could become less mundane. You could soon book the ride on an app, board the bus, take a seat, enjoy a movie or your favourite soap and get off. Shuttl, an Indian app-based bus service is injecting a huge dose of tech into bus travel with its shuttle bus service.

Shuttl currently caters to the needs of commuters in Delhi-NCR region with around 20,000 rides per day with more than 50 long routes and 450 buses. Now they are adding more tech to their offering like face recognition, 24x7 surveillance and entertainment.

The Shuttl S.A.F.E service is currently is in its testing/beta phase and according to the company it will be fully operational and be available on the roads of Delhi/NCR in the next 7-8 months.

S.A.F.E: Secure Anxiety Free Experience

Facial Recognition Technology

Shuttl says this service has been launched to ensure safety for urban commuters, especially women. The bus will offer face-based check-in where a camera will be placed at the entrance and all you have to do is walk in and the bus will recognise you as a registered passenger. It ensures that only validated, genuine commuters board the bus.

Facial recognition on Shuttl.

Alcohol Detector

The driver’s cabin will be retrofitted with an alcohol detector which the company says will ensure zero incidence of drunk driving. If any presence of alcohol is detected the bus will not start.

How the drivers cabin looks in the Shuttle prototype

SOS & Panic Button

The bus will have a physical panic button in case of emergencies and also the Shuttl app will come with an SOS and panic button to help commuters trigger an emergency response when in danger. There will also be live CCTV recording which will have an auto alert feature.

24x7 surveillance is available on the Shuttl service.

The prototype Shuttl has a physical panic button

Apart from safety, commuters will also be offered engaging content via Shuttl TV service. A single screen on the front will show the video content (movies, TV serials) and users will have the audio streamed into their apps via a live stream (so that other passengers are not disturbed). Shuttl will also offer Wi-Fi service for passengers although there is no news yet on data speeds and tariffs.

Entertainment console on Shuttl 

Ride-share is another feature introduced that allows commuters to share their ride details with family and friends to track their respective rides.

These security features on Shuttl buses are expected to roll out by early next year.