Bhubaneswar, March 6: A pair of exclusive buses for women will roll on the roads of the twin cities from Friday to mark International Women’s Day.

The state government announced the Women’s Day gift this evening, drawing cheers from the beneficiaries who have been demanding a safe transport system for long.

Two 40-seater buses will start plying from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack at the same time and will cover both the cities within the day. Women conductors will be recruited for the buses, which will be run by the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation, said minister of state for commerce and transport Subrat Tarai.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the first-of-its-kind service at Paribahan Bhavan on Friday morning. The initiative will facilitate safe and comfortable journey of the women, said an official.

“The service will cater to the need of working women, students and others travelling between the two cities,” said department secretary G. Mathivathanan.

As many as 330 buses, including 30 city buses, ply between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Nearly 40 per cent of the commuters are women.

Lauding the move, women of various age groups said exclusive buses for them would go a long way in ensuring their security while travelling, especially in the wake of the gang rape of a medical intern in a moving bus in Delhi.

“I will no longer have to worry about being eve-teased or molested while returning home from tuitions in the evening. Women conductors will inspire confidence among passengers,” said Dharitri, a college-goer and resident of Nayapalli area.

General secretary of the All-Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association Debendra Sahoo welcomed the decision.