Smart City e-buses fail to earn projected revenue

Abdul Wahab Khan

Panaji

Goa’s Smart City electric bus project, operated by Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd (KTCL) across Panaji and its surrounding areas, has failed to meet its financial targets for the financial year 2025-26, with actual revenue falling short of the projected figure even as cumulative ridership edges toward the three-million mark. The revenue shortfall points to structural challenges ranging from persistent competition from private city buses to passengers’ aversion to cashless ticketing.

KTCL had projected an annual revenue of Rs 3.39 crore for 2025-26. However, the actual revenue collected between March 2025 and January 2026 amounted to over Rs 3.08 crore, reflecting a shortfall of around Rs 30 lakh.

The total revenue for that period works out to Rs 3,08,61,506 across 29,43,779 passengers and 16,62,628 kilometres of operation.

On a monthly basis, revenue peaked at Rs 32.71 lakh in July 2025 and dipped to its lowest at Rs 24.67 lakh in October 2025, suggesting that seasonal tourism and commuter patterns play a key role in ridership fluctuations. “While the overall departmental revenue objectives for the Smart City EV bus service have not been fully achieved, the services continue to strengthen the sustainable public transport network and remain aligned with long-term objectives,” said a senior official from KTCL.

At present, 43 Smart City EV buses all stationed at the Panaji depot serve seven colour-coded routes: yellow, red, indigo, blue, green, orange, and violet. The fleet comprises predominantly PMI Regio models registered between May 2023 and August 2023, complemented by a smaller cohort of PMI Urban and PMI Lito buses registered in late 2023 and early 2024.

The yellow route, the longest and most prominent, traverses 24 kilometres (onward) from the Panaji bus stand through St Cruz church, Goa University, and Dona Paula to Miramar beach.

At the other end of the spectrum, the green, violet, and indigo routes serve more compact urban corridors of 9 to 13 kilometres within the Panaji precinct.

The corporation has attributed the revenue shortfall  to two primary factors: the continued presence of private bus operators in Panaji, which impacts EV ridership, and  people’s aversion to conductor-less ‘tap-and-go’ system.

The original concept relied on pole mounted validators for smart transit cards and mobile QR codes via the ‘Goa on the Go’ app, but many commuters still hesitate to adopt this digital transition hampering both revenue collection efficiency and the broader rollout of digital transit infrastructure.

The existing fare structure is tiered and relatively affordable: Rs 10 for up to 5 kilometres, Rs 20 for distances between 5.1 and 14 kilometres, and Rs 25 for anything above 14.1 kilometres.

To bridge the shortfall and strengthen the network, KTCL plans to introduce 87 additional buses under the PM-E Bus Seva to act as feeders to the Smart City routes.

Future strategies include rescheduling trips to better cater to high-demand corridors, offering a 10 per cent  discount for smart card users, and increasing line checks to prevent revenue pilferage, ensuring the service remains a sustainable pillar of Panaji’s public transport.