Bhubaneswar, Nov. 24: Residents will now be able to travel to district headquarters and other major cities in the state in comfortable, air-conditioned luxury buses.
The Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) will shortly run the luxury buses that will have state-of-the-art features, including modern seats, personalised lighting options and individual mobile charging points. The service called 'Rajdhani' will connect Bhubaneswar to major cities of the state and compete with private operators.
"As many as 75 buses will be purchased by OSRTC in the first phase," said the corporation's chairman-cum-managing director Sudhanshu Sekhar Sarangi.
He added that the corporation aims to make the government bus service more comfortable and safe. Sarangi said the service would earn more profits for the corporation. "Passengers seeking to travel in comfort will enjoy the service. We are sure that those who are from other cities and are residing in the state capital will find the service convenient," he said.
Rakesh Kumar, 18, BTech student and resident of Rourkela, said the service, when introduced, would prove immensely helpful. "Students come here to study and travel to their hometown during holidays. They would have a viable alternative to trains," he said. Private bus operators provide AC deluxe and AC sleeper buses on Bhubaneswar-Rourkela route, but some of them charge more from passengers in case of last minute rush, he said.
Sarangi said tickets for Rajdhani bus service could be booked online and there would not be any last-minute changes in the fares. They have also introduced a mobile app that can be used to book tickets on smart phones.
Moreover, six new Volvo buses will be added to OSRTC's fleet soon.
Two of these are already running on Puri-Calcutta route. The other four would ply on Bhubaneswar-Baripada and Badbil-Calcutta routes.
OSRTC has also reduced the fare of its luxury Volvo service from Bhubaneswar to Calcutta. The one-way fare between the two cities has been slashed from Rs 899 to Rs 600. Sarangi said the move is aimed at providing travellers an alternative to Shatabdi trains.
At present, 373 OSRTC buses are operating under 23 categories, including hi-tech, AC Deluxe and AC sleeper. OSRTC has been suffering losses as private bus operators offer better facilities. Sarangi said the introduction of Rajdhani service would change the perception of passengers about OSRTC. "We are already operating Volvo buses and the Rajdhani service would help the corporation to not only achieve a turnaround but also give a tough competition to private bus service in the state," he said.
