At 5.30 am on a chilly winter Wednesday morning, Sagarika Mohanty briskly walks down the lane to the Mo Bus depot which is on the fringes of Bhubaneswar. She is the new designate guide for Mo Bus service. Sagarika collects her ticket from the vending machine at the depot and registers her attendance before setting out for the day’s duty on Route 26 in the Temple City limits. The 19-year-old is among the 50 female guides who have been trained for the job. Mo Bus has given these women financial independence, the confidence to deal with people and also, an identity of their own. Managed by Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), Mo Bus is the first gender-balanced service of the State that employs smart technology, service benchmarking and customer satisfaction.
Sagarika Mohanty, Bhagyalaxmi Srichandan, Kumuduni Behera, Tilottama Biswal, Rajani Bala Das and Sugyani Baral are creating a positive wave in the city. Managing home, studies and work, these female guides are setting an example for their ilk. They are the new force in the capital, ready to take on the bullies while at the same time, lending a helping hand to the aged or specially-abled travellers. Sagarika goes about her job collecting fares from passengers and disbursing tickets as we chat with her. In between, she rushes to the door at a designated stop to help an 85-year-old man load his luggage in the vehicle. The service offers a discount for senior citizens and children below five years, which makes it more people-friendly and a sought-after mode of commuting for people from economically weaker sections.
In between, Sagarika is doing her graduate studies in Arts from a city-based college says, “I work for eight hours as per service norms. After reaching home at about 3 pm, the first thing I do is call up my classmates to arrange for the day’s notes. I have lunch and then set out for my computer class at about 5 pm. While returning home two hours later, I collect the notes and sit down to study for an hour. Later on, I help my mother with her household work and hit the bed around midnight to wake up at 4.30 am to resume duty.” Similar is the routine of the brigade of girls, who are pursuing studies and working as guides to pitch in for their study as well as meeting personal expenses.
Bhagyalaxmi, pursuing a UG degree, says, “While working as a guide, I get to meet people and learn new things on the route. This has given me the confidence to deal with different situations with a cool head and care for the elderly or needy.” “The safety and security aspect of Mo Bus is the top selling point in the success of this service,’’ says Rajani Bala Das, who was earlier working with Dream Team Sahara and is now positioned on route number 23. As there will be more and more women conductors, the ladies travelling by Mo Bus will feel more safe and secure,’’ says Das from Khandagiri.
The job is physically taxing but a learning process, says Tillotama, another guide. Pursuing her UG from a college in Balasore, the young guide says, “Dealing with the public is an art. We take good care of the passengers.” She has to deal with whatever situation might arise on the journey, be it an aggressive passenger or a vehicle breakdown or an accident. But, fortunately, none of them have had to face such a situation ever since the facility was launched on November 6.
The idea behind the inclusion of women in a bus service is clear, says Dipti Mohapatra, General Manager (Personnel and Administration). “Women should be in every field. They have made inroads in various segments, but transportation was one sector where their absence was being felt. We at Mo Bus aim to bridge this gap and focus on including them while providing a secure journey to lady passengers,” she adds. “We are a Smart City, why not be smarter by adding disciplined and multitasking women in the service to focus on better services,” she adds. On an average, there are 2.4 guides per bus and 300 buses have been planned by this year-end. The idea is to have at least 50 female guides, but the number can increase, says Dipti.
Some of their schemes
Bhubaneswar pass
Unlimited rides on all Mo Bus routes within the BMC area
MAGIC PASS
Allows unlimited rides on all MO BUS operational routes
ROUTE PASS
Designed for frequent commuters, you can enjoy unlimited trips along your preferred routes
Digital payment discount
20 PC
On base fare for each stage (Odyssey Card)
10 PC
On base fare for each stage (Other digital wallets)
