A DTS bus in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 25: Private operators of the city bus service today relaunched the smart cards that are free of cost and with an offer of 10 per cent discount on every recharge. Smart cards ensure cash-free travel.

On December 19, officials of the Dream Team Shahara (DTS) had stated that they would reduce bus fares as a Christmas and New Year gift to passengers after the diesel prices had fallen by around Rs 9.17 a litre over the past three months. However, instead of that, they have decided to give the discount on smart cards.

On September 26, the city bus fares went up, the increase varying between Re 1 and Rs 5. The hike came after one year, because the diesel price went up by more than Rs 7.50 a litre during this period.

Sources said the city bus operators wanted to cut down on the fares, but the state government’s decision to increase VAT on petrol and diesel, which made these two fuels costlier by Rs 1.49 and Rs 1.33 a litre, respectively, forced them to put the decision on hold. Instead they offered a discount on smart cards.

“We want the passengers to have cashless and hassle-free travel in our buses. That’s why, we are giving discount on smart cards and have made the cards free of cost. If more people use smart cards, they will benefit from the discount,” said DTS chairman Nishikant Mishra.

At present, around 7,000 passengers use the smart cards and the operators want to reach the 20,000 mark by the end of January. Mishra said that around 50,000 residents of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and Khurda used the city buses daily, and of them, around 42,000 were regular passengers.

Chief executive officer of the DTS Sudhansu Jena said people could get the smart cards free by filling up a form available with the conductors. They have to recharge the cards with whatever amount they wish to and then get 10 per cent discount on the recharge value. The cards are valid for one year.

“If someone recharges the card with a minimum amount of Rs 50, he or she will get a value of Rs 55. We hope this service helps people,” said Jena.

However, the operators’ decision has not gone down well with passengers, who complain that they have been cheated by the authorities, who are forcing smart cards on them instead of reducing the bus fares.

“While private bus operators have been reducing the bus fares, the city buses are yet to do so. This smart card ploy is to fool passengers,” said commuter Anusuya Rath.

“This is cheating. If the private bus operators take the same stance, what will the authorities say? It’s the passengers, who will be at the receiving end,” said Shaktikant panda, another passenger.