Cuttack, April 9: The state government will popularise the women’s special bus facility introduced last month in the twin cities.

“We have come up with some proposals that include extending the routes in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar,” said district transport manager Navin Panda.

At present, the buses run between Orissa High Court in Cuttack and AG Square in Bhubaneswar. The proposal calls for extension of the route from high court to Baramunda bus stand in Bhubaneswar.

The Odisha Road Transport Corporation, managing the service, has contemplated to rope in voluntary groups to create awareness, Panda said.

He also said leaflets would be distributed, so that more women would avail themselves of the service flagged off by chief minister Naveen Patnaik on the occasion of Women’s Day on March 8.

“The proposals are under review, and we hope that a final decision regarding the bus route and other proposals would be taken by next month,” Panda said.

The service consists of two independent 40-seater buses, originating simultaneously from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, and running between 8.15am and 6.30pm. Women conductors have been recruited to issue the tickets and ensure safety of the passengers.

“It will be very convenient if the service is extended to other parts of the city. I have been travelling in the special bus for the past 20 days. I had to go either to Badambadi or near high court from CDA to catch the bus to Bhubaneswar,” said Savita Sinha, a student. “A lot of other passengers also had to get down at Rasulgarh or Vani Vihar to reach Jayadev Vihar and Baramunda,” she said.

On the other hand, a group of other women in Cuttack have demanded the bus service to continue till 8pm.

“The bus goes almost empty from Cuttack in the afternoon because of the heat-wave conditions. The authorities should start the service from 4pm, so that many working women can avail themselves of the service,” said Rita Sahu, another woman passenger.

Around 330 buses, including 30 city buses, ply between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Nearly 40 per cent of the commuters are women, mostly office-goers and college students, who shuttle between home and workplace or college in the twin cities everyday.