Sambalpur, Aug. 1: A new city bus service for Bargarh residents will be launched on tomorrow to allow them to catch the Sambalpur-Puri Intercity Express from here.

The bus will leave Bargarh at 4.10am and reach Sambalpur station at 5.40am. The intercity express departs at 6.05am.

The bus will travel to Sambalpur via Burla and benefit the local residents as well.

Similarly, residents taking the intercity express from Bhubaneswar will also be able to avail the service to return to Bargarh from Sambalpur.

The bus for the return journey, also via Burla, will depart from Sambalur railway station at 10.10pm.

Paschim Odisha Paribahan Company (Popco) has partnered with the government to run and manage the service in Sambalpur, its chief executive officer Bipin Bhatia said.

He is hopeful that the service will receive positive response from commuters.

Bargarh residents have also welcomed the initiative from Popco, which already runs an early-morning city bus service from Hirakud for residents who want to catch the intercity express.

"Bargarh, which is 50km from here, is an important west Odisha town. Hundreds of people regularly travel to Bhubaneswar and Puri for work. They usually depend on buses for the journey. The city bus service will offer an alternative," said Bargarh resident Ashis Panda.

"It is a welcome step. The service is essential for the people of Bargarh. Hundreds of commuters will benefit after the service starts," said regular commuter Ranjit Barik.

The city bus service began with six buses in January 2014. At present, 30 city buses run on 12 routes and have become the preferred choice for a lot of people.