Cuttack, Dec. 19: Cuttack Municipal Corporation will invite expression of interest for setting up required infrastructure, including bus stoppages and terminals, for the proposed intra-city bus service that is likely to start from next year.

Official sources said the bus service is to be launched from Cuttack. The buses will be plying on specific routes that will cover major areas in Choudwar, Jagatpur, Naraj, Bidyadharpur and Cuttack.

The existing city bus service is operating under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNRUM) scheme in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri. Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Service Limited, a special purpose vehicle, created by the state government, is managing the existing service.

The existing bus service has been quite popular with over 50,000 passengers using it in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri on a daily basis.

Around 100 buses will be included in the upcoming bus service and the project will have a fleet of 50 buses initially, official sources said.

'The city bus service will be similar to the existing one under the JNNRUM scheme. A detail project report for the construction of bus stoppages has already been prepared and an expression of interest will soon be invited,' said Gyana Das, commissioner of the civic body.

Das said around 72 more bus stoppages will be constructed under public-private-partnership mode, while 13 stoppages already exist for the city bus service.

The urban and housing development has asked the corporation to constitute another special purpose vehicle for the proposed bus service.

The special purpose vehicle committee, headed by city-mayor Anita Behera, will soon be registered with the regional transport officer, Cuttack, for finalising the routes and fares for the upcoming bus service.