Bhubaneswar: Technology-driven ‘Mo Bus’ service of the Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), a state government initiative, was highly lauded at the inaugural session of a training-cum-workshop on ‘Sustainable Public Transport for Odisha’ here Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Housing and Urban Development Minister Pratap Jena said ‘Mo Bus’ model should be emulated throughout the state, especially in the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) and other Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs).
“It is commendable that the ‘Mo Bus’ service achieved more than 1.30 lakh ridership in a day within a short span of time,” Jena added.
The two-day long workshop, SMART-SUT Mobilogues, is being organised by CRUT in association with GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation), India.
Public Transport experts from Germany, Hong Kong and India are participating in the workshop which aims at strengthening and developing capacities of all the agencies involved in the planning and provision of public transport services in the state.
Speaking at the inaugural session, CRUT managing director Arun Bothra said, “Mo Bus graph is constantly going up. Credit for this goes to the riders who have trusted us from the beginning and give us constant feedback for improvement. We aim to reach 1.5-lakh ridership within next six months.” He further claimed that ‘Mo Bus’ service endeavours to minimise the carbon footprints.
Talking about the workshop, Bothra said, “This is an opportunity for cities within Odisha to learn from each other and discuss the challenges they face in operating public transport system. With the help of experts, they can come up with ideas to overcome those challenges.”
Lauding the state government and the CRUT, SMART-SUT, GIZ senior adviser Laghu Parashar said, “Bhubaneswar Smart-SUT project is one of the most successful projects in the country. CRUT team is very proactive which has made ‘Mo Bus’ service as one of the best sustainable public transport services in the country.”
He further said that Bhubaneswar is the first city to host SMART-SUT Mobilogues which will further strengthen sustainable public transport in the state.