Ama Bus fare collection and ticketing in 400 buses planned under the Centre-sponsored PM e-Bus Sewa scheme will be handled by private agencies across five Odisha cities under a new Comprehensive Region Urban Transport tender.
The agencies will deploy conductors, collect passenger fares, manage daily revenue transactions and operate ticketing systems on buses planned for Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur. The arrangement will replace the current system in which conductors and other manpower are directly hired by CRUT.
According to the tender document, the selected agencies will also recruit, train and supervise conductors. They will be required to maintain adequate manpower so that bus services are not disrupted and will have to keep daily records of fare collections and related transactions.
A senior CRUT official said the contract would run for three years, with a provision for extension based on operational requirements and performance. CRUT has also retained the right to change the number of buses covered by the arrangement if the service expands in the future.
The move comes as CRUT prepares to induct additional buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa scheme. The agency said the dedicated fare-management arrangement is intended to streamline revenue collection and strengthen accountability across its expanding public transport network.
CRUT currently operates Ama Bus services in several urban centres in Odisha and is expanding the network through different public transport initiatives. The 400 buses covered by the tender are planned to serve five cities, extending the operational scale of the state’s city-bus system beyond the existing network.
According to sources cited in the report, CRUT, a non-profit government organisation, has faced substantial revenue losses from operating Ama Bus services over the past several years. The agency is seeking to augment revenue through the new arrangement and use improved financial capacity to strengthen passenger facilities.
The tender places responsibility for both staffing and fare operations on the selected private agencies, while CRUT will retain oversight of the contract and determine any future changes to the number of buses covered. The next steps will depend on the tendering process and the appointment of agencies for the three-year operating period.
