Bhubaneswar, July 10: The Odisha Government has introduced a new category of stage carriage buses—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 on July 9 under the provisions of Section 67 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, partially modifying its earlier bus fare notification issued on February 8, 2021. The revised notification incorporates the new category of premium sleeper buses to cater to the growing demand for comfortable long-distance travel.

According to the government, the fare has been recommended by the Technical Committee constituted by the State Transport Authority (STA) and will come into force from the date of its publication in the Odisha Gazette.

Officials clarified that fares for all existing categories of stage carriage buses, including Ordinary, Express, Deluxe, Deluxe A.C. and Super Premium services, will remain unchanged. The existing Super Premium fare structure will continue to apply to seater and semi-sleeper coaches that do not fall under the newly introduced fully sleeper A.C. category.

The notification also extends all passenger protection provisions of the 2021 fare policy to the new buses. These include minimum fare rules, concessions for eligible passengers, free luggage allowance, additional luggage charges, mandatory display of fares and bus category, and other passenger safeguards.

The government has directed the State Transport Authority and Regional Transport Authorities to ensure strict compliance, making it clear that operators cannot charge fares above the prescribed limit. The fare structure may be revised after the Technical Committee submits its report on the proposed overall bus fare revision for 2026.

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