Reportedly, 43 Smart City EV buses operated by Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd (KTCL) and plying in Panaji and its suburbs have failed to meet the financial target for 2025“2026, though the total ridership was nearly 30 lakhs. The projected annual revenue for 2025“26 was Rs 3.39 crore, but till Jan 2026 it was Rs 3.08 crore.
The shortfall was ascribed to competition from private city buses and people shunning cashless ticketing by not using smart transit cards or the mobile QR codes via the ‘Goa on the Go’ app. There are other reasons too: the absence of conductors in several buses, which hampers the issuing of tickets; drivers not issuing tickets; passengers not insisting on tickets even after payment; and passengers alighting without paying when the bus is crowded and the driver is busy issuing tickets.
The KTC needs to solve the conundrum, and the simplest ways would be to outsource the hiring of conductors (as done for the drivers) and conduct surprise checks to catch and penalise ticketless travellers. These methods could significantly improve revenue collection.
