Karnataka Govt mandates Intelligent Transportation System AIS-140 Guidelines on Public Vehicles: Over 6.5 Lakh vehicles to be fitted with Panic Button

Karnataka currently accounts for 8.6% [1]  of the total 168,491[3] road accidents in India, placing it 5th [1] among all states. Furthermore, the state is encountering new issues related to incidents of rape and molestation.

Taxis, school buses, employee transportation, buses etc require a real-time connected technology in order for the Government to take proactive measures during road accidents, and emergencies.

What is AIS-140 VLT Device?

It’s Made in India, Vehicle Location Tracking Device & Emergency Panic Button, which works on GAGAN Satellite Constellation for triangulation of location by sending the data to the embedded IRNSS Chipset, attached to the vehicle ignition.

This device sends location coordinates, speed, time and panic alerts data to Government Command centers every 30 seconds via Dual Sim (BSNL + Airtel) embedded on the device.

The command centers with the received information from the AIS-140 device would take further actions to inform Local Police, Ambulance System, Fire Station etc.  

How Has Karnataka Implemented ?

With the state's vision to reduce accidents and thefts in Karnataka, and with participation from the RTO, Transport Ministry, and Police Department, it was decided to implement the AIS-140 in phases, starting from March 2024, as per the Guidelines mentioned in TD 57 TDO 2019.

In December 2023, the Ministry called a tender for Hardware manufacturers and Cloud technology service hardware.

13 Indian hardware manufacturers were empanelled and CDAC was awarded a tender to maintain the data and setup command center for the next five years.

The RTO department made the AIS-140 VLT device fitment compulsory process to get the fitness certificate. To ensure scalability and transparency, RTO provided Suraksha Mitra Mobile Application to MVI (Motor Vehicle Inspectors) across all RTOs to verify the device and panic button workability.

Once approved by MVI, AIS-140 Approved Suraksha Mitra and VLTD Certificates are downloaded from Suraksha and VAHAN portal respectively and submitted to the RTO by the vehicle owners to get the fitness certification.

Current Scenario

As of 31st December 2024, over 40,000 vehicles have been fitted with AIS-140 devices. The centralized CDAC centre is set up at the RTO Commissioner Building on Double Road. Over 25 agents monitor operations 24/7, managing panic button alerts in real-time. The system has saved nearly 10 lives through panic alerts received from devices and can prevent thousands of accidents by tracking and alerting drivers about their driving behavior.

OpsPod is a leading provider of telematics solutions aimed at transforming transportation management through innovative technology.

Our mission is to enhance safety, efficiency, and reliability in public transport systems across India.

OpsPod, with its in-house team of technicians, customer support and engineers works closely with all stakeholders—government bodies and hardware manufacturers in installation, servicing and certification process to ensure vehicles are compliant with these essential standards.

Implementing AIS-140 standards is not merely a regulatory requirement; it is a crucial step toward ensuring the safety and security of passengers across India.

For more information about OpsPod’s telematics solutions and our commitment to enhancing passenger safety through AIS-140 compliance, please visit our website at opspod.in

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/road-accidents-fatalities-rose-karnataka-bengaluru-2022-9011662/

2. https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/files/Finalized_Draft_AIS_140_regarding_Intelligent_Transportation_Systems_.pdf

3. https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/files/RA_2022_30_Oct.pdf