Bhubaneswar: To improve access to education, the Odisha government has approved free bus travel for school students under the Mukhyamantri Bus Seva (MBS) scheme.

Students wearing school uniforms or carrying identity cards can now travel for free in government-run buses.

While the decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on August 21, 2025, it was formally conveyed by Secretary of the School & Mass Education Department Shalini Pandit in a letter to the Principal Secretary of the Commerce & Transport Department on Wednesday.

Accordingly, the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) has been directed to revise and optimise bus routes and schedules to cover maximum number of schools. “The District Education Officers have been instructed separately to provide required information for re-mapping of bus routes,” the letter read.

The Commerce & Transport department has been asked to take necessary steps for implementation of the initiative and to make suitable budgetary provision to compensate for the expected revenue loss due to implementation of this scheme, it added.