Goa’s Kadamba Transport Corporation will increase the subsidy on monthly and annual bus passes from November 1, while changing validity rules so commuters receive the full number of days covered by their passes, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced at KTC’s 46th anniversary celebration in Panaji.
The monthly pass subsidy will rise to 20% from the existing 10%, while the subsidy on annual passes will increase to 30%. The changes are intended to reduce the cost of regular bus travel and address complaints that commuters lose unused days when monthly passes are tied to calendar dates.
Sawant said monthly pass validity would no longer run from the first day of one month to the first day of the next. Instead, it will be calculated according to the number of punches recorded on the pass. A monthly pass will therefore cover 30 days, while an annual pass will cover 365 days.
“Commuters usually claim that sometimes eight to ten days would go unused in a month,” Sawant said. He added that the validity of each card should be counted based on the number of punches rather than the number of calendar days.
The chief minister also announced that advance card booking would be made available across bus stands in Goa. He urged commuters to use the system and avail themselves of the revised pass benefits.
The announcement places KTC’s pass system at the centre of the state’s effort to make public transport more accessible. Unlike a calendar-based arrangement, the punch-based approach is designed to ensure that interruptions or gaps in travel do not automatically reduce the usable period of a pass. The government did not provide an estimate of the number of pass holders who will benefit from the changes or the expected cost of the higher subsidies.
Sawant praised KTC drivers for their discipline and said the corporation’s buses were preferred by many interstate commuters because of their cleanliness. He also said the government was not positioning KTC as a direct competitor to private bus operators, adding that the Mhaji Bus scheme had been introduced to bring services on par with private operators.
KTC chairperson Ulhas Tuenkar said at least 150 buses would be scrapped in 2027 under the 15-year vehicle policy. The statement points to an upcoming fleet transition for the state-owned operator, although no replacement schedule or procurement details were announced at the event.
Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said KTC was not a profit-making organisation and had therefore not increased fares despite rising fuel prices. The revised subsidies, unchanged fares and planned vehicle retirements will shape the corporation’s operating requirements as it continues to provide bus services across Goa.
