Bhubaneswar: Mo Bus, the city bus service in the capital which recently celebrated its two years of existence, has won the top award of the country for the second time in a row. The award has been given by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Govt. of India in a national level conference Monday evening.
The award was announced at the 13th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference held online Monday. Every year, this conference is organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Govt. of India and awards are given to the top performing City Bus Company in different categories.
Last year the conference was held in Lucknow where Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) was given the first prize, “Best City Bus Service Project” in the new initiative category.
This year, there was only one category of award. The theme was ‘Innovations undertaken in Urban Transport during Covid-19’. After evaluating the measures taken by various bus companies across the country, the national jury decided to award the first prize- Award of Excellence to Capital Region Urban Transport, Odisha.
In an online programme Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Govt. of India gave away the awards. Arun Bothra, Managing Director, CRUT received the award. The programme was attended by senior officers of various City Bus Companies all over the country and senior officers of Govt. of India.
On this occasion Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA and other delegates praised CRUT for its innovative methods to keep commuters safe from Covid-19.
Speaking on the occasion, Arun Bothra said, “We are thrilled to receive UMI award two times in a row. He thanked Govt. of India for this recognition and said, “This will motivate us to provide better services to the commuters while taking all precautions.”
Bothra said that the award to CRUT reflects the seriousness of Govt. of Odisha about Covid measures. He further added, “The COVID-19 measures taken by the state Govt. are considered one of the best in the country. We are happy that MoBus has lived up to the expectation of the Govt. as well as people of the Capital Region and enhanced the reputation of Odisha in terms of Covid management.”
Bothra said, “After resumption of service post lockdown, our top priority was safety of the passengers. We treat our crew and commuters as our family members and ensure their safety like we do for our own family. From the very beginning of pandemic, CRUT team ensured safety of passengers and crew. No standing passenger were allowed to travel in the buses. Wearing masks was made compulsory for all the passengers while they commute in MoBus.”
“After the resumption of service, people were unwilling to travel in public transport. To get back the faith and trust of the customers, we decided to be transparent. Through social media and press coverage we informed how we were disinfecting all buses with a high level disinfectant at regular intervals. Commuters regained confidence over a period of time and more people have started commuting in Mobus.” He said.
Bothra said “In the present scenario, it is imperative to use contactless methods over cash to avoid human to-human contact. In order to digitize the commute, recently we have introduced QR code payment and Tap & Pay ‘MoBus Card’ in the bus to facilitate cashless transactions. This will allow a hassle-free and risk-free travel for the commuter in the times of COVID-19.” He thanked riders for this recognition. “They have trusted in us from the beginning of service and continue to ride with us in the time of pandemic while following the safety protocols.”
Dipti Mahapatro, General Manager, CRUT said, “Even when our regular service was suspended for daily commuters, we continued to serve the citizens. Mo Bus services were running so that emergency services could run. We are glad to contribute a little in the war against COVID-19 by providing dedicated bus service to emergency helpline & health workers. We gave support to Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation in its endeavour to serve citizens of Bhubaneswar during this crisis. Mo Bus was used for delivery of essential items in the containment zones of city.”
CRUT is continuing to provide essential service to keep city moving by undertaking safety measures for its employees and commuters, the most significant one being 100 hours (5 weeks) of online training imparted to over 1200 crew through program titled Bus Pathsala.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled the book, ‘Bus Pathsala’ on the occasion of second anniversary of Mo Bus 6th November. This compilation of virtual training sessions conducted during COVID pandemic on soft skills and technical skills is the first of its kind publication by any public transport company in the country.
Currently 109 buses are operating on 17 routes with around 26000 passengers per day.
PNN