The Men’s Hockey World Cup has come as an opportunity for the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) to display its fleet of luxury buses for transportation of players. The corporation will provide 16 luxury buses to ferry players during the event. Each bus costs around Rs 50 lakh.
Deputy general manager of the corporation A.K Pattanaik said that the air-conditioned buses were equipped with CCTV, mobile charging points and comfort seats.
“The buses have also Wi-Fi service and we will enable the service soon,” said Pattanaik. He also said that the drivers and conductors of buses had undergone a behavioural training to interact with the visiting players. The exterior of the buses will display the logo of the state, along with that of the world cup.
The team from Spain arrives in Bhubaneswar on Friday to take part in Men’s Hockey World Cup, which will be held from November 28 to December 16 at the Kalinga Stadium. Picture by Ashwinee Pati
The state-run service, which was once considered a no match to private buses for its fleet of rickety buses, has been trying to make its mark in luxury bus service. Last year, the corporation had provided two luxury buses to ferry India and England teams during an ODI at Barabati in Cuttack.
“The world cup is one among the biggest sporting events to be hosted by the state and this will be an opportunity for branding of the corporation. The fleet of luxury buses of the corporation is capable of competing with private buses. The organisers of the world cup are happy with the features that these buses offer. We will also introduce a few of the luxury buses for transportation of tourists in the city during the world cup,” said an OSRTC official.
The corporation is operating more than 440 buses, including those to states such as Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Thousands of passengers depend on the bus service to reach remote destinations across Odisha.
The corporation will shortly introduce bus services between district headquarters and the state capital under the Rajdhani Express scheme. In the first phase, 23 AC deluxe buses will connect the district headquarters with Bhubaneswar.
