Bhubaneswar: A comprehensive review meeting on the ongoing and upcoming initiatives of the Comprehensive Regional Urban Transport (CRUT) was held today under the chairpersonship of Housing & Urban Development Minister, Dr. Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, to assess the progress of urban mobility expansion, infrastructure development, road safety initiatives, and institutional strengthening being undertaken across Odisha.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the progress of CRUT’s Phase-I expansion plan covering Keonjhar, Baripada, Angul, Jharsuguda, and Balasore, while also discussing the roadmap for Phase-II expansion in Jajpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Bhadrak, and Balangir. It was reported that ridership in the newly launched electric bus services in Keonjhar has been steadily increasing and currently stands at nearly 1,300 passengers per day.
The review also focused extensively on the implementation progress of the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme. The Minister directed officials to expedite all pending infrastructure and power connectivity works to ensure timely operationalization of the upcoming depots and electric mobility infrastructure across the State.
Emphasizing the importance of long-term financial sustainability in public transport operations, the meeting deliberated on strengthening CRUT’s non-fare box revenue streams through structured monetization initiatives.
The Minister reviewed ongoing efforts related to advertisement rights on buses, bus queue shelters, bus poles, and depot-linked commercial infrastructure. It was noted that CRUT’s non-fare box revenue contribution has increased to 22.05% in 2025 through systematic commercialization measures. The Minister further directed that all upcoming depots and transport infrastructure should be developed with integrated commercial utilization models to create sustainable revenue streams for urban transport services.
Road safety emerged as another major focus area during the review. The Minister appreciated the safety measures already implemented by CRUT and directed officials to expedite the deployment of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Driver Fatigue & Monitoring Systems (DFMS) across the existing fleet. Officials informed that all newly procured electric buses are being equipped with ADAS-enabled safety systems to further enhance passenger and driver safety standards.
The Minister also commended CRUT’s continued efforts towards gender inclusion in public transport and specifically acknowledged the engagement of women drivers in electric bus operations in Keonjhar. The deployment of women Heavy Motor Vehicle drivers in regular city operations was recognized as a progressive step towards enhancing women’s participation in the urban transport sector.
The proposed collaboration and Memorandum of Understanding with Sri Sri University for psychometric evaluation and structured training programs for CRUT captains was also highly appreciated during the meeting. The initiative was recognized as an important step towards strengthening professional capacity building, behavioral training, and safety-oriented public transport operations.
Managing Director, CRUT, Siddique Alam, presented the detailed progress report and briefed the Minister on various operational, infrastructure, and institutional initiatives being undertaken by CRUT across Odisha.
The meeting concluded with directions from the Minister to all concerned 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, sustainable, and financially resilient urban transport services across Odisha.
