Bhubaneswar: The inauguration of the Location Accessible Multi Modal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme by the state government in the third quarter of 2023, to provide seamless public transport between the gram panchayats and district headquarters, was the culmination of a plan mooted by the commerce and transport department towards the beginning of the year.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had launched the initiative from tribal-dominated Malkangiri district by flagging off the buses. The initial plan of introducing the LAccMI services in six districts — Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Gajapati — seems to have tasted success, marking a milestone in transforming rural connectivity.
Under the scheme, the state government has decided to operate 1,000 buses in rural areas and allocated Rs 3,178 crore.
However, the government faced problems just after the launch as the state private bus owners’ association, fearing losses, announced they will go on an indefinite strike if the the LAccMI scheme was not withdrawn.
As a result, more than 14,000 buses went off the roads in October just ahead of Dussehra leaving many people stranded in different parts of the state. The government tried to negotiate with the association but it failed to arrive at a mutually-agreed solution.
Fortunately, some of the bus owners realised the hardship of passengers and withdrew from the strike. Subsequently, private buses rolled again as well as LAccMI services.
In Bhubaneswar, the Mo Bus service continued to gain popularity with the introduction of electric buses. The electric buses are not only eco-friendly but also provide a neat and clean service to passengers. Beginning with 50 e-buses, Capital Region Urban Transport (Crut) has decided to add 200 more to its fleet in the coming year.
The popularity of Mo Bus services has also made the government to expand it to other parts of the state. This year, Mo Bus service was introduced in Rourkela. The government is planning to roll it out in Sambalpur, Berhampur and Jharsuguda towns.
A few of the innovations adopted by Crut, however, invited a lot of criticism. In order to check ticketless travelling,
Crut asked its passengers to buy tickets first before boarding the Mo buses but they demanded introduction of cashless transaction modes on the vehicles.
CRUT managing director Arun Bothra said Mo Bus service began in 2018 with a few thousand riders but now it has increased significantly. He said the number of buses has also increased from 200 to 405 now. “Looking at the growing demand, more e-buses will be added to the existing fleet next year,” Bothra said.
In terms of infrastructure, the state saw the inauguration of the Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Bus Terminal in Cuttack which is equipped with world-class infrastructure and gives an airport-like feel to passengers.
Similarly, the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) in Baramunda here is nearing completion with over 90% of the work done and will be inaugurated in 2024. “The selection of the ISBT operator is going on and it will be completed soon,” said vice-chairman, Bhubaneswar Development Authority, Balwant Singh.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had launched the initiative from tribal-dominated Malkangiri district by flagging off the buses. The initial plan of introducing the LAccMI services in six districts — Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Gajapati — seems to have tasted success, marking a milestone in transforming rural connectivity.
Under the scheme, the state government has decided to operate 1,000 buses in rural areas and allocated Rs 3,178 crore.
However, the government faced problems just after the launch as the state private bus owners’ association, fearing losses, announced they will go on an indefinite strike if the the LAccMI scheme was not withdrawn.
As a result, more than 14,000 buses went off the roads in October just ahead of Dussehra leaving many people stranded in different parts of the state. The government tried to negotiate with the association but it failed to arrive at a mutually-agreed solution.
Fortunately, some of the bus owners realised the hardship of passengers and withdrew from the strike. Subsequently, private buses rolled again as well as LAccMI services.
In Bhubaneswar, the Mo Bus service continued to gain popularity with the introduction of electric buses. The electric buses are not only eco-friendly but also provide a neat and clean service to passengers. Beginning with 50 e-buses, Capital Region Urban Transport (Crut) has decided to add 200 more to its fleet in the coming year.
The popularity of Mo Bus services has also made the government to expand it to other parts of the state. This year, Mo Bus service was introduced in Rourkela. The government is planning to roll it out in Sambalpur, Berhampur and Jharsuguda towns.
A few of the innovations adopted by Crut, however, invited a lot of criticism. In order to check ticketless travelling,
Crut asked its passengers to buy tickets first before boarding the Mo buses but they demanded introduction of cashless transaction modes on the vehicles.
CRUT managing director Arun Bothra said Mo Bus service began in 2018 with a few thousand riders but now it has increased significantly. He said the number of buses has also increased from 200 to 405 now. “Looking at the growing demand, more e-buses will be added to the existing fleet next year,” Bothra said.
In terms of infrastructure, the state saw the inauguration of the Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Bus Terminal in Cuttack which is equipped with world-class infrastructure and gives an airport-like feel to passengers.
Similarly, the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) in Baramunda here is nearing completion with over 90% of the work done and will be inaugurated in 2024. “The selection of the ISBT operator is going on and it will be completed soon,” said vice-chairman, Bhubaneswar Development Authority, Balwant Singh.