Cuttack, March 10: The much-awaited city bus service will be launched here on April 1.

The Cuttack Municipal Corporation had earlier come up with the Cuttack Urban Transport Service Limited (CUTSL), that would manage the city bus service and provide connectivity to all important centres of the city.

With the municipal commissioner as the chief executive officer of the CUTSL, there are plans to come up with a city bus service with a fleet of 100 buses.

"In the first phase of Cuttack's own city bus service, 30 buses will roll out on April 1. The buses will ply on several routes within Cuttack city limits and adjoining areas such as Choudwar, Athagarh and Banki," said the chief executive officer of the Cuttack Urban Transport Service Limited (CUTSL) Gyana Das told The Telegraph.

The bus service will function on public-private partnership. "The state housing and urban development department will provide the buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme for the city bus service which will be operated by Shahara Roadways - a private party," Das said.

"As part of the contract, the private operator will incur all the expenses in connection with the operations, including payment of all applicable taxes. In return, the operator would be allowed to collect and retain appropriate fares from the passengers as notified by CUTSL," said Das.

"The operator will be allowed to utilise the advertisement space on the buses as well as on the bus stands, but will be required to share the revenues earned," Das said.

Cuttack city is yet to have an organised public transport system. The existing city bus service is managed by the Bhubaneswar -Puri Transport Service Limited under JNNURM scheme in Bhuban- eswar, Puri and Cuttack.

Private operators ply only on three routes with a fleet size of less than 20 buses covering major parts of the city.

"Over the last decade, the terrain in and around Cuttack city has changed phenomenally and the mobility of passengers and goods over a much wider area is required on an urgent basis. The routes identified for the city bus service is expected to cater to the increasing needs of passengers by covering the city and the neighbouring towns," said Bikash Ranjan Behera, head of the standing committee for licence and appeal of the municipal corporation.

The CUTSL has identified ten routes to provide connectivity to important centres of the city, such as the Cuttack railway station, Badambadi bus terminus, high court, SCB Medical College and Hospital, Ravenshaw University and collectorate office from Matagajpur, Nuapada, Bayalish Mauza, Nirgundi, Choudwar, Charbatia, Athagarh and Banki.

"A city bus service worth the name has been much awaited by the people of Cuttack. It is a welcome move that the demand of Cuttack residents is going to be fulfilled now," said Durga Mishra, a resident of Chandini Chhak.

In another development, the municipal corporation has started the process for constructing 52 shelters for the city bus service in different places in and around Cuttack on build-operate-transfer basis through a five-year contract with private operators.