Recently , the Odisha-based ”Mo Bus” service has been recognised by the United Nations as one of 10 global recipients of its annual Public Service Awards for 2022. The awards recognise 10 innovations to help the world recover better from COVID-19 and the winning initiatives help keep children safe, advance gender equality, and protect life below water.
Mo Bus service was launched on November 6, 2018 to ensure “transformation of the urban public transport scenario in the city and its hinterland through use of smart technology, service benchmarking and customer satisfaction”.In 2019, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs conferred a special award on Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) the Bhubaneswar City Bus Modernisation Project, popularly known as the Mo Bus service.
The buses are designed to integrate smart technologies such as free on-board Wi-Fi service, digital announcements, surveillance cameras, and electronic ticketing. The public transport service has been recognised for its role in “promoting gender-responsive public services to achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The UN Public Service Awards recognise excellence in public service delivery that promotes effectiveness, transparency, and inclusiveness to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
