A public transport network run by the Indian State of Odisha has been honoured in awards from by the United Nations (UN) for helping the world recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The service, Mo Bus, in the State capital of Bhubaneswar, is among 10 global initiatives that received awards from countries as diverse as Panama and Ukraine.
In a statement, the UN said Mo Bus had incorporated “real-time technologies like live tracking, travel planner and e-ticketing”, and an e-rickshaw system called Mo E-Ride as a last-kilometre feeder service.
“This initiative has brought a significant change as over 57 per cent of the city’s commuters are using the Mo Bus now,” the UN said.
“Mo E-Ride has contributed to reducing pollution by between 30 and 50 per cent,” it said.
“Forty per cent of Mo Bus conductors are women and 100 per cent of Mo E-Ride drivers are women, transgender people, and people from disadvantaged communities.”
The UN said that earlier, the majority of people in Bhubaneswar were using private vehicles, two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws instead of public transportation, so it was necessary to take action to improve the situation.
The buses have a free on-board Wi-Fi service, digital announcements, surveillance cameras, and electronic ticketing.
Other winners included drone technology used to identify and conserve water resources in Thailand and transparent electronic public auction systems in Ukraine.
Bhubaneswar, 28 June 2022
