Electric Bus Services to Expand Across Odisha Under CRUT Roadmap

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s urban transport network is set for further expansion with the state government reviewing a series of infrastructure, electric mobility and road safety initiatives being implemented by Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) across multiple districts.

A high-level review meeting chaired by Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra assessed the progress of ongoing and upcoming urban mobility projects, including expansion of electric bus operations, transport infrastructure development and institutional strengthening measures.

During the meeting, officials reviewed the progress of CRUT’s Phase-I expansion plan covering Keonjhar, Baripada, Angul, Jharsuguda and Balasore. Discussions were also held on the Phase-II expansion roadmap for Jajpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Bhadrak and Balangir.

Officials informed that ridership of the recently launched electric bus services in Keonjhar has been steadily increasing and has reached nearly 1,300 passengers per day.

The meeting also reviewed implementation of the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, under which electric mobility infrastructure and bus depots are being developed. The Minister directed officials to expedite pending infrastructure and power connectivity works to ensure timely operationalisation of the projects.

Financial sustainability of urban transport services was another key area of discussion. The Minister reviewed CRUT’s efforts to strengthen non-fare revenue generation through monetisation of advertisement rights on buses, bus queue shelters, bus poles and depot-linked commercial infrastructure.

Officials informed that CRUT’s non-fare box revenue contribution has increased to 22.05 per cent in 2025 due to systematic commercialisation initiatives. The Minister directed that future depots and transport infrastructure should incorporate integrated commercial utilisation models to generate sustainable revenue streams.

Road safety measures also came under review during the meeting. The Minister appreciated the safety systems already introduced by CRUT and instructed officials to accelerate deployment of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Driver Fatigue Monitoring Systems (DFMS) across the bus fleet.

Officials said all newly procured electric buses are being equipped with ADAS-enabled technology to improve passenger and driver safety standards.

The Minister also commended CRUT’s initiatives promoting gender inclusion in public transport, particularly the deployment of women heavy motor vehicle drivers in electric bus operations at Keonjhar. The move was described as a progressive step towards increasing women’s participation in the urban transport sector.

The meeting further discussed a proposed collaboration and Memorandum of Understanding with Sri Sri University for psychometric evaluation and structured training programmes for CRUT captains. Officials said the initiative would help strengthen behavioural training, professional capacity building and safety-oriented public transport operations.

Managing Director of CRUT Siddique Alam presented a detailed report on the organisation’s operational, infrastructure and institutional initiatives across Odisha.

Concluding the meeting, Minister Mahapatra directed officials to ensure timely completion of infrastructure projects, faster deployment of electric mobility systems, strengthening of road safety mechanisms and continued focus on citizen-centric and sustainable urban transport services across the state.