UMI 2026: Odisha’s women take the wheel in the journey towards inclusive urban mobility

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, OCTOBER 26, 2026

When institutional commitment meets individual courage, the result can be transformative. The meeting between Usha Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, and Subhalaxmi Mahananda, Odisha’s first woman electric-bus driver from Keonjhar district, captured the human story behind the State’s evolving urban mobility landscape — one in which women are not merely beneficiaries of change but active participants in shaping it.

More than a photograph, the encounter symbolised the convergence of policy support, opportunity and personal determination. It underscored how sustained institutional efforts can help women challenge social conventions, enter non-traditional professions and carve out new avenues for economic independence.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of the 19th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Exhibition and the second National Urban Conclave (NUC), hosted in Bhubaneswar from October 23 to 25, 2026. With UMI being held in eastern India for the first time, the twin events brought Odisha’s vision of accessible public transport, inclusive urban growth and liveable cities into the national spotlight.

From Keonjhar to the driver’s seat of an electric Ama Bus, Subhalaxmi’s journey gives a human face to this larger vision. For young girls who see her behind the wheel, a profession once regarded as unconventional is becoming a tangible career possibility. Every journey she undertakes carries a message that women can do more than participate in public services; they can help lead and shape the essential systems that keep cities moving.

This progress reflects coordinated institutional efforts involving the Commerce and Transport Department, the Transport Commissioner and the managing director of Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT). Their work across policy formulation, skills development, livelihood generation and transport operations is helping create an enabling environment in which women can enter the sector, acquire professional competence and build sustainable careers.

CRUT’s initiatives to widen women’s participation in public transport include advanced electric-bus driving training for 20 women who hold Heavy Motor Vehicle licences. Women employed as drivers, conductors and feeder-service personnel are contributing to a more inclusive public transport system while demonstrating their professional capabilities to thousands of commuters. Their growing presence is also helping challenge established perceptions about women’s roles in occupations traditionally dominated by men.

The broader ambition is reflected in Atmanirbhar MAhila SuVahak (AMA SuVahak), an initiative that envisages the creation of 2,450 women-led transport enterprises across Odisha. The scheme provides for interest-free loans of up to ₹10 lakh for vehicle purchases, an additional incentive of ₹2 lakh for electric vehicles, and free driving and entrepreneurship training, along with licensing support. Priority assistance for members of Self-Help Groups and other eligible women, coupled with integration with ride-hailing platforms, is intended to bridge the gap between skills, vehicle ownership and viable income-generating opportunities.

By combining financial assistance with training and market access, the initiative seeks to enable women to move beyond employment into entrepreneurship. Access to vehicles, professional licences and digital platforms can help create pathways to independent livelihoods while expanding the pool of women participating in the transport economy. The emphasis on electric vehicles also links livelihood generation with the wider transition towards cleaner and more sustainable urban mobility.

These efforts are unfolding alongside the expansion of Odisha’s public transport network. CRUT has grown from a single-city operation into a network of 770 buses operating across 138 routes, with electric buses accounting for 51 per cent of its fleet. Nearly 48 per cent of ticketing transactions are cashless, indicating the growing adoption of digital payment systems and technology-enabled passenger services. The expansion reflects a broader effort to improve connectivity while making urban transport more efficient, accessible and responsive to commuters’ needs.

At UMI 2026, the CRUT pavilion showcased this transformation through displays and presentations on Ama Bus services, electric mobility, Odisha Yatri, intelligent transport management, digital ticketing, safety and accessibility initiatives. The pavilion offered visitors a glimpse of how technology, service innovation and public transport infrastructure can work together to improve the urban commuting experience. CRUT also contributed to the planning, coordination and execution of the event, helping bring Odisha’s experience in public mobility to a national audience.

Guided by the theme “Urban Accessibility and Liveability in the Digital Age”, UMI examined how transport systems can connect people with opportunities and make cities more inclusive, accessible and sustainable. The discussions highlighted the importance of placing people at the centre of urban planning and ensuring that mobility solutions respond to the needs of diverse communities. Alongside the National Urban Conclave, the conference reinforced the vision of building future-ready cities in which efficient transport, digital innovation and social inclusion advance together.

Within this larger conversation, the meeting between Usha Padhee and Subhalaxmi acquired a significance that extended beyond the formal proceedings of a national conference. It brought the policy framework and its intended social impact into a single frame: an administrator working to create opportunities and a woman whose determination has enabled her to seize one. Their encounter illustrated how institutional commitment can translate into individual achievement and, in turn, inspire others to follow a similar path.

Subhalaxmi’s story is a reminder that the transformation of public transport is not measured solely by the number of buses deployed, routes added or digital transactions completed. It is also reflected in the people who gain access to new professions, the barriers that begin to fall and the aspirations that become attainable. Behind every woman taking the wheel are opportunities created, skills nurtured, support systems strengthened and the courage to take the first step.

As Odisha continues to expand its public transport network and promote women’s participation in the mobility sector, stories such as Subhalaxmi’s offer a glimpse of the social change that can accompany infrastructure development. The challenge ahead is to ensure that such opportunities reach more women across the State and translate into lasting employment, entrepreneurship and economic independence.

At the heart of Odisha’s mobility vision lies a simple but powerful proposition: inclusive cities require inclusive opportunities. As the State moves forward, institutional commitment can open doors, individual courage can drive change, and a new generation of girls can begin to see themselves not merely as passengers in the journey of development, but as drivers of its future.