Sambalpur, Dec. 25: City buses are set to ply on new routes in the town shortly as Western Odisha Urban Transport Services Limited (WOUTSL) gets ready to add 20 more vehicles to its fleet.

Civic commissioner Bimalendu Rai, who also heads WOUTSL, said: "Four AC and 16 non-AC buses are being procured," said Rai.

The AC buses will run on the Bargarh-Sambalpur-Jharsguda route, while the non-AC ones will connect areas such as Sonepur, Kuchinda, Belpahar and Barpali.

At present, 30 buses ply on 12 routes in the town. A private operator, Paschim Odisha Parbahan Company (Popco), has partnered with the government to run the service. More than 7,000 people travel by the city buses every day.

Commuters are happy with the news of more buses and new routes. "The bus service is receiving very good response. <>We are especially happy to know that four AC buses will be run. Travelling by non-AC buses here is an ordeal during the summer," said town resident and daily commuter Rakesh Pradhan.

Popco also plans to introduce smart card service by March next year to make the rides more convenient for commuters.

"Once smart cards are introduced, commuters who buy the card just have to scan the card on a handheld device kept with the conductor to deduct the exact fare for the journey. The pre-paid cards can be purchased from our office and can be recharged time to time," said Popco chief executive officer Bipin Bhatia.