Pune Traffic Police (PTP) has been a digitally and social media active department for a while now. While the Facebook page has been active in spreading relevant information, the department recently launched an Android app to reduce the traffic woes of the city’s common man.
Recently reviewed at LI, the PTP Android app is the perfect pocket size solution for all traffic related issues. Within a short time the mobile app has witnessed close to 9000 plus downloads and has received a good response from the people.
Being a Puneite myself, I wish every smartphone user in the city installs the app to not only reduce their traffic woes but also to empower themselves. Listed below are the five primary reasons why you must install the app:
1. Auto Fare feature
The PTP app is a bright and easily navigable app. One of the most important and much required feature is the Auto Fare feature.
Ask someone from a metro or a non-metro city if they are not scared to indulge with an auto driver because of their dodgy meters and attitude. The fear becomes even more acute if you are traveling at odd hours. With the Auto Fare feature the PTP app tries to solve the problem once for all.
The feature has two life saving sub-features – Fare Chart and Prepaid Auto Rickshaw. Fare Chart helps you to calculate day and night fares in the city based on the distance traveled. The Prepaid Auto Rickshaw feature tells you where can you get them, search for the area where you want to go and it calculates the fare for you. That sure is a big relief for someone who is traveling first time to Pune!
2. Towed Vehicle feature
Getting your vehicle towed by the traffic police van is a common problem these days in a city like Pune. Most of the times it is our carelessness or the never ending search for parking that leads us to park at wrong places. The problem starts after you have found out that your vehicle has been towed, since locating from where you can pick up your vehicle is the challenge.
In such situations the PTP app comes to your rescue; tap the on ‘Towed Vehicle’ feature, search the area from where the vehicle was towed and you would get a contact number to inquire about your vehicle.
3. Live traffic update
Traffic problem is a common headache for all of us. With monsoon already at its best, traffic in Pune could be nightmare for a lot of us. Live Traffic feature in the app is the answer to this worry, where you can drill in the map and find out condition of the traffic based on indicators such as slow to fast movement of traffic.
Tap and zoom to find the exact details of the traffic situation at a particular point in Pune.
4. Traffic rules and police contacts at your finger tip
PTP’s app has features like Road Safety Tips, Useful Websites, Road Marking, Traffic Signage and a FAQ on traffic rules and guidelines. These additional features will not only educate you about the law but also empower you and protect you from swindling traffic policemen.
Besides features like Pune City Police and Traffic Branch only add up to the above listed features. You get all the contacts with addresses at your finger tip.
5. Available in local language
One of the exciting feature that pops up while you load the app is its availability in local language – Marathi. Along with an English version, the Marathi version makes the app complete since not many are comfortable with English as a language.
Having a local language option is a must in India for any app to have a bigger reach but right now the app will need some more work for complete support to the local language.
While I was disappointed by the Gurgaon Traffic Police, the PTP app has shown the intent of Pune City Traffic Police to help the common man. A round of applause for Hardcastle for developing the app.
Are you still looking for reasons to install the PTP mobile app?
The original post was published here.
(c) Lighthouse Insights 2014
