NHAI to upgrade 1033 highway helpline with AI, tracking
NHAI plans to upgrade its 1033 National Highway helpline with AI, real-time location tracking and smart emergency-response systems. The revamped platform will help identify callers' locations, support multiple Indian languages and enable faster deployment of emergency assistance
New Delhi: State-owned NHAI on Monday said it plans to upgrade its existing 1033 National Highway helpline with advanced technology to provide faster and better assistance to people travelling on National Highways.
In a statement, the state-owned agency said the upgraded 1033 helpline will use technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), real-time location tracking and smart emergency-response systems.
These improvements will help the 1033 National Highway helpline identify callers’ locations, understand calls in different Indian languages and send the right assistance more quickly, it added.
NHAI said human operators will continue to play an important role, especially in emergencies where human judgement and decision-making are essential.
According to NHAI, the next-generation 1033 platform will provide benefits such as faster assistance, better systems for receiving calls and sending help to the required location, and real-time capture of callers’ locations to help emergency teams reach the spot.
The 1033 helpline was introduced in 2018 and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It helps National Highway users with medical emergencies, vehicle breakdowns and assistance from ambulances, cranes and patrol vehicles.
The helpline currently covers more than 1.46 lakh km of National Highways and receives around 15,000 calls every day. It also provides assistance in multiple languages.
Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), a company promoted by NHAI, has invited an Expression of Interest (EOI) from companies and consortia for the development, design, deployment, operation and maintenance of the next-generation 1033 helpline and call centre.
The initiative requires expertise in software development, digital platforms, 24×7 call-centre operations and emergency-response services.
NHAI said companies working in mobility and ride-hailing, logistics, quick-commerce, public safety, Computer-Aided Dispatch, Voice AI and Indian-language speech-recognition technologies are encouraged to participate.
