Paperman Media ( Bhubaneswar )- Additional Chief Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, Smt. Usha Padhee, chaired a review meeting on the functioning of Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) at Kharavela Bhawan here on Tuesday, directing officials to take concerted and time-bound measures to further improve the safety, quality and reliability of Ama Bus services.
MD, CRUT, Md. Sadique Alam, Additional Secretary-cum-GM Sahadev Samadhia, Joint Secretary, H&UD Department, Smt. Mamatarani Naik, Financial Advisor, OSD, Manager (Operations) and other senior officers attended the meeting.
The review covered fleet and route operations, road safety, passenger services, crew management, digital systems, financial sustainability, infrastructure and future expansion plans. Smt. Padhee stressed the need for continuous monitoring and prompt corrective action to ensure a safe, efficient and commuter-friendly public transport system.
CRUT currently operates 770 buses, including 390 electric buses, across seven cities, covering 138 routes and serving around 3.5 lakh passengers daily. Technology-driven systems such as Intelligent Transport Management Systems (ITMS), GPS-based tracking, CCTV, Command and Control Centre monitoring, passenger information systems and operational dashboards are being strengthened.
Road safety received particular attention, with CRUT recording a 52 per cent reduction in accidents compared to the corresponding period last year. Driver training, mandatory alcohol testing, speed monitoring, regular safety training and KPI-based crew assessment have been implemented. The five-day SuVahak training programme has also been strengthened with modules on electric-bus operations. Measures are underway to introduce Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Driver Fatigue Monitoring Systems (DFMS).
The meeting also reviewed digital ticketing, live bus tracking, ETA information, passenger feedback and last-mile connectivity. Sarathi and electric feeder-bus services are being strengthened, with the feeder pilot recording around 4,000 daily commuters.
CRUT is promoting integrated digital ticketing, including the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), while employee welfare and specialised training remain key priorities. The organisation’s cost recovery has improved to around 65 per cent.
Smt. Padhee directed CRUT to institutionalise continuous monitoring of routes, fleet utilisation, safety indicators, passenger grievances and crew performance, ensuring timely follow-up and accountability to strengthen public confidence in Ama Bus services.If you want, I can also make this into a shorter 200-word newspaper version with a stronger headline and sub-headline.
