Bhubaneswar: The Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) is significantly scaling up its operations across Odisha to enhance public transit accessibility and promote sustainable travel.
With a current ridership of 33 lakh commuters and a fleet of 290 electric buses, the agency is now moving forward with an ambitious expansion under the Urban Mobility Plan. This growth is backed by a substantial allocation of 421 crore in the Odisha Budget 2026–27, signaling a major commitment to modernizing the state’s transport infrastructure.
Shri Md. Sadiq Alam, Managing Director of CRUT and Secretary of Public Enterprises, recently conducted a tour of Jajpur, Balasore, and Baripada to oversee the groundwork for the upcoming Ama Bus service.
This initiative aims to integrate these three key districts into the state’s expanding transit network. During his visit, the Managing Director engaged with district administrations to finalize logistics and infrastructure requirements for the rollout.
In Jajpur, high-level meetings were held with the district administration to expedite the identification and handover of land required for operations.
Similarly, in Balasore, the site for foundation construction has been finalized, with work scheduled to begin immediately following the formal handover process.
The preparations in Baripada are also well underway, where the location for a dedicated depot and the necessary operational infrastructure have been established. Detailed Project Reports (DPR) and specific transit routes for Baripada have already been mapped out.
Following discussions with the District Collector of Mayurbhanj and senior administrative officers, a clear timeline has been set to begin depot construction in the region.
While CRUT currently operates nearly 300 e-buses, the state plans to add 600 more under the existing Urban Mobility Plan, eventually leading toward a massive scale-up to serve these new sectors.
This expansion is designed to provide seamless, eco-friendly connectivity to residents, further solidifying Odisha’s position as a leader in urban mobility solutions.