PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday announced that the Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) will become a fully digital public transport service by January 2026, featuring cashless travel, real-time bus tracking, and an Integrated Depot Management System (IDMS). He also announced that all pending dues of employees, both retired and serving, will be cleared within three months.
“Kadamba will soon launch a single smart transit card valid on all buses across Goa, making travel fully digital. The Vehicle Location Tracking System will give passengers real-time updates,” Sawant said while speaking at KTCL’s 45th anniversary celebrations in Panaji.
Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, also present at the event, endorsed the plan and said that by January 2026, KTCL will go fully digital.
Godinho said the digital transformation will include a single smart transit card, electronic ticketing, app-based services, and a Vehicle Location Tracking System (VLTS) to help passengers track buses in real time.
“Digitalization is the future, and Kadamba cannot lag behind. By January, people will be able to travel cashless and track exactly when the next bus will arrive,” he said, stressing that the move had full support of the KTCL board.
The minister also said the IDMS would enhance operational efficiency by tracking spare parts and inventory, monitoring bus failures, and geo-mapping depots.
KTCL Chairman Ulhas Tuenkar also announced that the Corporation is set to scrap around 280 old buses by 2027, replacing them with electric and luxury buses. “We already have 150 EVs and 48 Smart City buses on the roads. With schemes like Maji Bus, even private operators are being encouraged to join the network through subsidies and incentives,” he noted.
Tuenkar highlighted the Corporation’s modernization push. “Though KTCL is not profit-making, the government ensures our Rs 11 crore monthly salaries are paid on time. An additional Rs 8 crore has been released towards PF parity, and support is being extended for new fleet procurement,” he said.
Pending dues to be cleared: CM
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured that all pending dues of KTCL employees, retired and serving, will be cleared within three months. “We had earlier released 50 percent of arrears. The balance will also be settled within one, two, or three months,” Sawant said, calling KTCL the “lifeline of Goa.”
He was reacting after the staff, especially those retired, urged him for immediate release of pending payment, during the event. The staffers had even held a one-day long hunger strike on September 30.
The CM also announced a half-ticket concession scheme for women employed in the private sector, which KTCL’s management is formulating for early rollout.
