KSRTC Honoured with the Svayam Accessibility Award 2025 for Advancing Inclusive Public Transport in Mysuru Dhwani Spandana

Bengaluru Express
New Delhi, Nov. 7:
KSRTC has been conferred the prestigious Svayam Accessibility Award 2025 in recognition of its pioneering efforts in advancing inclusive and accessible public transport in Mysuru.
The award acknowledges KSRTC’s leadership in implementing ‘Dhwani Spandana’ – the OnBoard Bus Identification and Navigation System, a first-of-its-kind initiative.
The award was presented by Prashant Kumar Mittal, Deputy Director General, National Informatics
Center (NIC) and And Sminu Jindal, Founder-Chairperson Svayam Foundation
to Mr. Sharan Basavaraj K.M., Divisional Controller, KSRTC Mandya Division, and Mrs. Sudharani R., Deputy Chief Systems Manager, KSRTC.
Svayam – India’s leading accessibility advocacy organization – the Svayam Accessibility Awards honour institutions that set benchmarks in inclusion and universal design. The 2025 edition marks a milestone year as Svayam cerebrates 25 years of promoting accessibility worldwide.
The OnBoard Bus Identification and Navigation System, developed by the Raised Lines Foundation at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, has been implemented in Mysuru city buses to enhance independent mobility for visually impaired commuters. The system enables users to identify approaching buses and locate entry points safely through assistive audio signals. To date, over 200 city buses have been equipped with the system, and more than 400 visually impaired users have been trained to use the technology. This initiative has significantly reduced travel dependency while enhancing confidence, safety, and independence among commuters with vision impairments.
The success of this initiative was made possible through the technical collaboration and knowledge support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, under SUM-ACA project, which focuses on improving urban mobility and accessibility for all.