Public transport system would be launched in four more cities by the end of this year, sources in the Urban Development Department said. Sources said the department is on the verge of finalising the formalities for the launch. The City Bus services would be launched in four urban centres, Cuttack, Rourkela, Balangir and Koraput
The department has planned to introduce as many as 50 buses in Cuttack, 30 each in Rourkela and Balangir and 20 in Koraput. The tender process for procurement of buses in the next two months has already been completed, sources in the department said. The bus service would be operated in PPP mode on the lines of Bhubaneswar which is managed by a private company Dream Team Sahara (DTS).
“A special purpose vehicle (SPV) would be floated for this purpose and private parties would be selected through tender process,” Urban Development Special Secretary Sisir Rath said. Notably, 30 city buses are plying on the roads of Sambalpur and Brahmapur. While buses are being run on PPP mode in Sambalpur, Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) is managing the services as no private party has come forward to run the services. Besides, six buses are being introduced in Rourkela on an experimental basis, which is also managed by the OSRTC.