Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Dec 25: Bus passengers were a disappointed lot Thursday when they learnt that the state enterprise Bhubaneswar Puri Transport Service Limited (BPTSL) has not reduced the fare of the JNNURM buses.
Instead, private operator Dream Team Shahara (DTS) under BPTSL started offering 10 per cent additional travel amount to smart card users as Christmas and New Year gifts Thursday.
Under this, if a person recharges a smart card with `100, he would get the travel amount of `110 four journeys in 145 buses plying on 21 routes across Bhubaneswar, Puri and Cuttack. The discount is also valid for the 12 air-conditioned Redline buses.
However, passengers who do not have such cards will have to pay the entire ticket amount.
The decision has come as a relief to roughly 7,000 passengers who are using smart cards but has not cut much ice with the more than 42,000 city bus users who do not have the cards as yet.
DTS chairman Nishikant Mishra said that smart card facility has been re-launched and cards would be sold free of cost while the minimum recharge value has been reduced from `100 to `50.
Smart cards can be bought and recharged while travelling in buses from conductors or Master Canteen depot.
DTS authorities justified its decision of offering free of cost smart cards and 10 per cent extra travel amount, claiming that they want to popularise smart cards to give passengers a cashless travel experience.
“As cards will be sold free to passengers, the discount offer can be availed by thousands of passengers. We want to address the problem of change while travelling as the situation sometimes turns into a bad experience for commuters. The extra travel amount can also be earned through smart cards,” Mishra said.
The DTS chairman said the decision was taken at a meeting of BPTSL board members December 19 to give maximum advantage to people. “We will sell more than 20,000 smart cards within two months so that the maximum number of passengers can avail the benefit,” Mishra said.
DTS chief executive Sudhansu Jena said DTS was still incurring losses because of the mounting operational and maintenance costs. Jena said the government has provided only three origin-destination (OD) terminals against the requirement of at least 42.
