Berhampur, March 24: The Odisha State Road Transport Corporation, which has been operating the city bus service for the past one month, is unhappy with the fare structure as commuters prefer private buses which charge much less.
“Though the number of passengers on Berhampur-Gopalpur and Berhampur-Chatrapur routes is increasing day by day, it is yet to be satisfactory. The city bus service on Berhampur-Hinjili route is not getting enough passengers, who prefer other private buses for low-fare charges,” said Amiya Kumar Mishra, the city bus service’s district transport manager, who has been deputed by the corporation since the beginning.
The fare in city bus from Berhampur to Hinjili (22km) is Rs 36, where as the private buses charge Rs 10 and the express buses Rs 12 to Rs 14. Some city bus conductors on the Berhampur-Hinjili route even alleged that many passengers had confronted them over the fare. The city bus fare from Berhampur to Chhatrapur (20km), which was Rs 21, have now been increased to Rs 28 following complaints of some private bus owners. “Why will a passenger give Rs 28 when private buses charge Rs 16 from Berhampur to Chatrapur,” asked a conductor.
The city bus service began with chief minister Naveen Patnaik flagging off six buses at the Ganjam collector office in Chhatrapur through videoconferencing from the secretariat on February 26 at 6pm.
Ganjam Urban Transport Services Limited, a special purpose vehicle to facilitate the transport project, has handed over 16 buses to the corporation for the purpose.
“We are now running 12 buses and the other four are kept off roads due to absence of drivers and conductors. We have recruited 12 drivers and 12 conductors for the 12 buses. We cannot recruit additional people in view of the model code of conduct,” said the district transport manager.
“We are focussing on comfort and punctuality to draw more passengers,” said Mishra.
Earlier, chairman of Ganjam Urban Transport Services Limited Prem Chandra Chowdhury, who is also the Ganjam collector, appealed the public to co-operate and protect the buses for a smooth running.
