Bhubaneswar to Pilot Bus Priority Lanes on Two Key Corridors to Improve Public Transport

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has proposed a pilot Bus Priority Lane initiative on two major corridors in Bhubaneswar, aiming to reduce congestion, improve bus travel times and make public transport more reliable and efficient.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Housing & Urban Development Department Additional Chief Secretary Usha Padhee at Kharavela Bhawan. The initiative will be implemented through the Comprehensive Region Urban Transport (CRUT) in coordination with the Traffic Police, Works Department, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other agencies.

The two corridors identified for the pilot are the 18-km Biju Patnaik International Airport–Nandankanan corridor and the 5-km Vani Vihar–Sishu Bhawan corridor.

The Airport–Nandankanan corridor connects several major administrative, educational, commercial and healthcare destinations. It has 34 bus stops and caters to around 9,000–10,000 passengers daily across major routes. The Vani Vihar–Sishu Bhawan corridor covers 15 bus stops and serves approximately 5,000–6,500 passengers a day, passing through important locations such as Master Canteen, Rajmahal, Ram Mandir and the Bhubaneswar Railway Station area.

Focus on reducing bus delays

The proposed priority lanes are aimed at addressing the impact of traffic congestion on bus services. According to CRUT, congestion in mixed traffic currently results in the loss of an estimated 1,200–1,500 bus trips every month, accounting for nearly 16 per cent of trips being lost due to traffic-related cancellations.

The pilot is expected to reduce bus travel time by 10–20 per cent and improve average bus speeds by 15–25 per cent, while also contributing to better road safety and service reliability.

Unlike fully segregated bus lanes, the pilot will use a flexible kerb-side priority lane model to minimise disruption to general traffic. The priority lanes will primarily facilitate the movement of public buses, school buses and emergency and essential services.

Preparatory work before rollout

A multi-agency committee has been constituted to oversee the pilot, monitor its performance and recommend changes before any wider expansion.

The preparatory phase is expected to take around 10–12 weeks and will include detailed traffic surveys, corridor-level design, road markings and signage, improvement of bus queue shelters, traffic signal optimisation and identification of designated pick-up and drop-off points for three-wheelers and cabs.

This will be followed by a three-to-six-month pilot phase, during which operational data will be collected and analysed through Intelligent Transportation Management Systems (ITMS).

The committee will also prepare detailed Standard Operating Procedures covering lane usage, bus movement, stopping and boarding arrangements, emergency access, enforcement, incident management and coordination among different agencies.

Technology to support enforcement

Technology-based monitoring will form a key component of the initiative. CRUT plans to use 24×7 ITMS-based monitoring and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) CCTV cameras, supported by enforcement by Traffic Police personnel.

The in-bus camera systems installed in public buses will also be explored for monitoring and enforcement, subject to technical feasibility and applicable protocols. The systems could help identify unauthorised entry into priority lanes, illegal parking, unsafe lane changes and other violations.

Where technically and legally feasible, unauthorised use of the priority lanes and illegal kerbside parking will attract auto-generated e-challans.

Emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire tenders will have unrestricted access to the designated priority lanes.

Crew training and public awareness

CRUT will conduct dedicated training for bus drivers and operational staff before the pilot begins. The training will cover lane discipline, entry and exit procedures, safe stopping, pedestrian safety, interaction with other traffic, emergency situations and compliance with the approved SOPs.

The government will also undertake an extensive public awareness campaign before implementation. Road users, commuters, residents, commercial establishments, schools and other stakeholders along the two corridors will be informed about the new lane arrangements, permitted users and enforcement provisions.

Signage, roadside information boards, social media, media campaigns and other communication channels will be used to encourage voluntary compliance.

Feeder services to be integrated

The bus priority initiative will also be linked with Bhubaneswar’s broader Hub-and-Spoke or Trunk-and-Feeder public transport model.

CRUT will examine passenger demand and travel patterns to identify suitable feeder routes that can connect residential and other areas with major trunk routes and transport hubs. The integration is intended to improve first- and last-mile connectivity and reduce dependence on private vehicles for shorter connecting journeys.

Pilot to determine wider expansion

The performance of the pilot will be assessed on several parameters, including bus travel-time savings, average speeds, service reliability, passenger experience, traffic impact, road safety, enforcement effectiveness and first- and last-mile connectivity.

The data generated through ITMS, ANPR and other systems will be used for continuous monitoring and evidence-based assessment.

Based on the outcome of the pilot, CRUT will refine the lane design, operational guidelines, enforcement mechanisms, crew training and feeder-route integration before considering its expansion to other major public transport corridors in Bhubaneswar.

The initiative is expected to mark a significant step towards faster, more reliable and commuter-friendly public transport, while making more efficient use of the city’s existing road infrastructure and encouraging greater use of public transportation.