In a major push to strengthen public transport safety and accountability, the Meghalaya government has equipped 170 government-owned vehicles, including SPTS and STEM buses in the first phase, with Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD). The system, which comes with SOS panic buttons linked to an emergency response mechanism, will allow real-time monitoring of passenger vehicles and swift intervention during crises.
Commissioner and Secretary of the Transport Department, Sanjay Goyal, said, “We have already started implementation of this device into the government-owned public transport vehicles and other transport vehicles. So as of now, we have implemented in roughly around 170 odd vehicles. We have already implemented it, which includes the SPTS buses, STEM buses and other government department vehicles. We had fixed the time frame till April this year only to complete this but this exercise is a bit slow and now we are pushing the departments to take it up and finish it fast. As you are aware, we have already empanelled various vendors which are working for this and they have been as per the norms which has been set up by the Ministry to implement the scheme.”
He further clarified that the initiative is being rolled out in phases, beginning with government-owned buses, hospital vehicles, educational and training institution vehicles, and those belonging to PSUs such as Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC), Shillong Traffic and Environment Management Society (STEMS), and Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA). “As of now we have started with the government-owned vehicles and the public transport vehicles, but in the second phase we will be depending on how we have fared in the first phase wherein we have taken this category of vehicles. In the second phase we are intending to take up the other commercial vehicles,” Goyal stated.
The initiative falls under Rule 125H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, making VLTD installation mandatory for all public service vehicles, in line with the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS-140) notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The system, rooted in the Nirbhaya Framework and backed by Supreme Court directives, has been designed to ensure passenger safety with integrated panic buttons and emergency protocols.
With empanelled vendors authorised to fit the devices to maintain technical integrity, the government asserts that the system will streamline surveillance, improve governance, and provide safer commuting options across Meghalaya’s public transport network.
