BHUBANESWAR: The Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) has come up with an initiative to provide school students the memorable experience of travelling in city buses.
The public transport authority has started reaching out to various schools and institutions in the Capital to encourage children to travel in the technology-driven and citizen-friendly Mo Bus. In the first batch, 40 inmates of Ashraya Shelter Home, a non-profit organisation in the city, took a ride in a Mo Bus bus from Dumduma Square to Indira Gandhi (IG) Park where they attended the Bhubaneswar story festival-BhuFesto.
The children were accompanied by employees of Ashraya Shelter Home and Rotary E-Club.
Dhruv, a student, said, “This was such a comfortable bus ride. I am very excited about travelling onboard Mo Bus for the first time.” Jhanja Das, a Rotarian, who accompanied the children said the new public transport system should be used by all segment of commuters, especially children.
General Manager, Personnel and Administration CRUT, Dipti Mohapatra said Mo Bus and Mo Cycle are ideal for short journeys within the city as those can go a long way in reducing the carbon footprint besides encouraging a healthy lifestyle. However, as this is a public transport system, the buses move in a designated route only and halt only at bus stops near the schools from where children board.
“These journeys would also save time and decongest traffic,” she said. Mohapatra said a bus full of passengers can take 50 cars off the road. “As a responsible society, we need to promote public transport among children,” she added.