Raksha Bandhan Gift: Women to Travel Free on Odisha’s Ama Buses

The Odisha government will provide free travel for women on state-run Ama Bus services for one day on Raksha Bandhan, an official said on Thursday. The initiative has been introduced on the directions of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and following a proposal by Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra.

The Comprehensive Region Urban Transport (CRUT) has made arrangements to allow women passengers to travel without paying fares on Ama Buses operating across the state. The facility will be available in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Berhampur and Keonjhar.

Officials expect more than one lakh women passengers to benefit from the initiative in a single day. The move is aimed at promoting safe, convenient and affordable public transportation while improving women’s mobility and making their journeys more comfortable.

Mahapatra said the initiative reflects the government's commitment to ensuring dignity, priority and greater convenience for women. He said improved access to safe and inclusive public transport would help strengthen women's social and economic mobility and allow them to travel with greater confidence.

Ama Bus services have also been equipped with several safety and passenger-support measures. These include GPS-based bus tracking, CCTV surveillance, trained bus staff and passenger assistance systems, which are intended to make public transportation safer and more reliable.

CRUT Managing Director Siddik Alam said the initiative would further strengthen the organisation's commitment to providing women with safe, affordable and dignified mobility. However, women passengers will still be required to obtain a “zero ticket” despite the fare exemption. CRUT has urged passengers to cooperate with bus staff and maintain proper passenger etiquette to ensure smooth operations.

The free-travel initiative is expected to provide temporary financial relief to women commuters while also encouraging greater use of public transport during the festival. It is being positioned as a step towards making women’s mobility safer, more accessible and inclusive across Odisha.