Bhubaneswar, Nov. 14: The Biju Patnaik Airport authority’s decision not to allow city buses near the new terminal of the airport has irked bus operators and commuters.

The operator of the city bus service, Dream Team Shahara (DTS), and government officials managing the service under Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Service Limited had written to the airport authorities to allow them take the buses near the terminal gates, but the airport officials cited operational problems and denied them permission.

A DTS official said city buses were allowed near the airport when the old terminal was operational.

After the new terminal was inaugurated in July, buses were initially allowed to ply near its gate.

“But later, the airport authorities refused to allow our buses near the terminal. They allotted a parking space around 400m away from the terminal. But they allowed taxis and autorickshaws to go closer to the gate,” said chief executive officer of DTS Sudhanshu Jena.

The operators complained that since taxis and autorickshaws were allowed to go closer to the terminal, people preferred to use those instead of the city buses.

Many travellers also complained that the buses were being parked too far away from the domestic terminal and if they wanted to use this cheaper mode of transport, they had to walk about 400 metres with their luggage.

“Public buses are allowed in front of the airport terminal gates along with private vehicles at many cities of the country. But here, the buses, which are cheaper on the pockets of travellers, are parked far away from the airport,” said Ramesh Biswal, a private company employee, who is a frequent flier to various cities in the country and abroad.

Earlier this month, the Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Service Limited had written to the airport authorities to allow city buses to get close to the terminal so that both passengers and the service provider benefit.

At present, 10 buses ply from the airport to Nandankanan every day through Master Canteen and various other routes.

Director of Biju Patnaik Airport Sharad Kumar said he had got letter from the bus operators and also met them in this regard. He said he would look into the proposal.

“We had done a survey which showed that around 80 per cent travellers preferred to travel by cars. The remaining 20 per cent tried to save time and opted for taxis or autorickshaws. Very few people wanted to take the city buses even though it was cost-effective,” said Kumar.

Besides, he said if these buses were allowed near the terminal, they would park on the road blocking the movement of other vehicles.

“That’s why we provided them with a dedicated parking lot and they are parking their vehicles there. Those who want to board these buses can go to the parking lot and take a ride,” he said.