Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has introduced a new category of stage carriage bus—Super Premium Fully Sleeper A.C. Coach—and fixed the maximum passenger fare at Rs 3.50 per kilometre per passenger/berth for services operating within the state.
The Commerce and Transport Department issued a notification in this regard on July 9 under the provisions of Section 67 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The notification partially modifies the department’s earlier bus fare notification issued on February 8, 2021, to incorporate the new category of buses.
According to the notification, the fare has been recommended by the Technical Committee constituted by the State Transport Authority (STA) and will come into effect from the date of its publication in the Odisha Gazette.
The government clarified that fares for all existing categories of stage carriage buses, including Ordinary, Express, Deluxe, Deluxe A.C. and Super Premium buses, will remain unchanged. Existing Super Premium fare rates will continue to apply to super premium seater, semi-sleeper and similar coaches that are not fully sleeper A.C. coaches.
The notification further states that all provisions of the 2021 fare notification, including minimum fare, concessions for eligible passengers, free luggage entitlement, additional luggage charges, fare rounding, mandatory display of fare and bus category, and other passenger safeguards, will also apply to the newly introduced fully sleeper A.C. coaches.
The government has specified that the notified fare is the maximum amount that operators are permitted to charge. Bus operators have been barred from collecting any fare beyond the prescribed limit. The State Transport Authority and the Regional Transport Authorities have been directed to ensure compliance through permit endorsement, fare display, ticketing and enforcement.
The notification also states that the newly fixed fare will remain subject to revision after the government considers the forthcoming report of the Technical Committee on the overall bus fare revision for 2026 or any subsequent fare revision mechanism notified by the government.
