Mangaluru: All private buses in the city will have to be fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) soon.

The move is to ensure the errant private bus drivers, who are infamously addressed as Formula 1 drivers, to keep a check on their speed as they will be on the radar of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) throughout their trips.

The move comes at a time when the complaints of private bus drivers using the unauthorised roads and violating timings at bus shelters are on the rise. The RTO will take up the project in association with the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) under the Smart City project.

Speaking to G S Hegde, deputy commissioner of transport and in-charge senior RTO, said his office will introduce a centralised vehicle tracking system in its jurisdiction to track the buses.With the introduction of the GPS, the speed at every interval, the route taken and the time taken at the bus shelters will be tracked among other details.

Hedge said the government had passed a resolution in this regard in March 2016. However, the resolution could not be acted upon in the city due to various technical reasons.

He said the decks have been cleared now, adding that he raised the the issue with the government during a meet convened in Bengaluru on January 29.

“The issue will also be discussed uring the district road safety committee meeting to be held on February 5,” he said.