Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took a ride in a Mo Bus with common passengers as the citizen-friendly bus service completed its one year of operations on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister, who travelled from Biju Patnaik Airport Square to Lok Seva Bhawan in a Mo Bus, said, “I am very glad that the service has completed one year and won confidence of the people. It now serves nearly one lakh commuters in a day. I congratulate all for the success”.
The Chief Minister said that cities are expanding, the population is growing, the traffic has increased and also mobility of the people. And at the same time, there is also an increase in pollution.
“Of course we are in a better position in comparison to other States. But we have to plan from today. That is why it is important to strengthen the public transport system,” the CM stressed.
“We have been able to develop Mo Bus service into a model transport service. It is possible because of you”, he said.
“I am confident that we can deliver better than other metro cities,” the CM added.
Naveen was seen overjoyed while travelling in the Mo Bus. He interacted with the fellow travellers, who took selfies with the CM.
The technology-driven bus service, flagged off by the Chief Minister a year ago, has gained wider acceptance among the denizens of the capital city and its suburbs registering a daily ridership of 1 lakh.
On the day of inauguration of service, Naveen travelled in one of the Mo Buses with common passengers.
The public-friendly bus service is being operated by the Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), a special purpose vehicle (SPV), formed under Housing and Urban Development Department.
The CRUT operates a fleet of 310 buses to and from the capital covering all major destinations across the Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and Khordha.