Mhaji Bus Scheme

What is the Mhaji Bus Scheme?

Mhaji Bus Scheme is a public transport scheme of the Department of Transport, Government of Goa, implemented through Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL). The name means "my bus" in Konkani, and the scheme's design reflects that: it keeps buses in private ownership and private operation, and uses public money to make the economics work rather than to take the buses over.

The problem it addresses is familiar across Goa. Private stage carriage operators on rural and low-density routes cannot cover costs from fare revenue alone, so services thin out, buses age past the point of safety, and passengers on underserved routes are left without transport. According to the Department of Transport, the scheme aims to ensure an affordable, safe and reliable public transportation system, increase the availability of buses across the state, reduce traffic congestion, and promote public transport use especially in rural and underserved areas.

The financial package has three main components, a per-kilometre operating subsidy, an insurance premium reimbursement, and capital assistance to replace an ageing bus, plus two revenue features that matter as much as the subsidies:

• The operator retains the full fare revenue collected from passengers and is not required to deposit any fare amount with KTCL.
• The operator receives 50 percent of the advertisement revenue generated from advertising displayed on the bus.

Who is eligible for the Mhaji Bus Scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are a private bus operator holding a valid stage carriage permit issued by the competent authority in Goa.
• You are the registered owner of the bus or mini bus in the State of Goa.
• The bus to be operated under the scheme is not older than 15 years from the date of its initial registration.
• You agree to comply with all operational, branding, safety and service norms specified under the scheme.
• The bus will operate for the full month.
• You give prior intimation to the competent authority if the bus is off the road.

Relaxations:

• For the initial period of 3 years, buses up to 20 years old are eligible to participate. This is a transitional window that lets existing operators join before replacing their fleet.
• The bus may be kept for repairs and maintenance for two days only, and those days should be Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.

You cannot apply if:

• You do not hold a valid stage carriage permit issued by the competent authority in Goa. A contract carriage or tourist permit does not qualify.
• You are not the registered owner of the bus in Goa.
• Your bus is older than 15 years and the 3-year transitional relaxation to 20 years does not apply or has lapsed.
• You are unwilling to accept the branding, safety and service norms, which include installing a Vehicle Location Tracking Device approved by the Directorate of Transport before induction.
• You cannot commit to operating on all permitted days through the year.

What does the Mhaji Bus Scheme pay?

How kilometres are counted. The kilometres considered for financial assistance are taken as per the fare chart issued along with the stage carriage permit by the Regional Transport Authority. This is an important practical point: the subsidy is computed from the permitted route distance on the RTA fare chart, not from an odometer reading or an operator's own log.

Smart transit passes and cards. Amounts collected through Kadamba Transport Corporation smart transit passes and smart transit cards are reimbursed to the respective operators, in line with the guidelines set by KTCL. So a passenger paying by KTCL card does not cost the private operator the fare.

The mobilization advance is a genuinely useful feature for a new entrant. An operator who has just bought a bus faces fuel, wages and insurance from day one but will not see a settled subsidy claim for some weeks, and an advance of up to 60 days of operational subsidy bridges that gap.

What documents are required?

At the enrolment stage, with Form-MM1

For claim submission, with Annexure A, B or C

How to apply for the Mhaji Bus Scheme

1. Print the prescribed forms: Form-MM1 for enrolment and Annexure A, B or C for the relevant claim: from the scheme notification published by the Goa Government Printing Press.
2. Fill in all mandatory fields, paste the passport-sized photograph and sign across it where required, and attach self-attested copies of the RC, stage carriage permit, insurance certificate, PUC certificate, photograph of the bus, Aadhaar card and cancelled cheque or bank passbook.
3. Sign the Form-MM2 undertaking of compliance, accepting the operational, branding, safety and service norms of the scheme.
4. Install a Vehicle Location Tracking Device approved by the Directorate of Transport on the bus, which is required before induction into the scheme.
5. Submit the duly filled and signed forms with all documents to the Managing Director, Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited, Paraiso Goa Building, Alto-Porvorim, Bardez, Goa 403521, and keep a photocopy set.

What happens after you apply?

Verification. Applications are verified by the General Manager or another officer appointed specifically for the Mhaji Bus Scheme. Field inspections may be conducted wherever the authorities consider it necessary, to assess the claims and verify the bus's details and compliance status.

Empanelment. On successful verification and approval, the applicant is issued an official Letter of Empanelment.

Agreement. The applicant must then sign a formal Agreement with Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited, setting out the operational and service obligations under the scheme. Only after this agreement is executed does the operator begin drawing scheme benefits.

Ongoing claims. Once empanelled, the operator files periodic claims under Annexure A for the per-kilometre subsidy, Annexure B for the insurance premium reimbursement, and Annexure C for a bus replacement, each with its own supporting documents.

Why claims and applications get held up

• No valid stage carriage permit. This is the single defining eligibility condition, and a lapsed permit stops both enrolment and claims.
• Bus over the age limit. Beyond 15 years, or beyond 20 years once the 3-year transitional window closes, the bus cannot be inducted.
• Taxes outstanding. Proof of up-to-date passenger and road tax payment is required with every claim.
• Pending prosecutions. A clearance certificate for prosecutions related to the vehicle is a claim document, and unresolved cases block settlement.
• No VLTD installed. A Vehicle Location Tracking Device approved by the Directorate of Transport is required before induction.
• Kilometres not certified. The per-kilometre claim needs documents certifying operational kilometres issued by the permit-issuing authority, and the count is taken from the RTA fare chart.
• Excess off-road days. Repairs and maintenance are limited to two days, and those should fall on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. Any other absence requires prior intimation to the competent authority.
• Replacement invoice from outside Goa. The Annexure C claim requires an invoice or proforma invoice from a dealer within the State of Goa.

Where to get help

• Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited — Paraiso Goa Building, Alto-Porvorim, Bardez, Goa 403521. KTCL is the implementing agency: it receives applications, verifies them, issues the Letter of Empanelment, signs the operating agreement and recommends the mobilization advance. See goakadamba.com.
• Department of Transport, Government of Goa. The department that framed the scheme, and the authority that approves the Vehicle Location Tracking Device specification.
• Regional Transport Authority. The permit-issuing authority, and the source of the fare chart from which subsidy kilometres are computed.
• Official Gazette notification. The full scheme text, Form-MM1, Form-MM2 and Annexures A, B and C are published by the Goa Government Printing Press at goaprintingpress.gov.in.

There is no application fee. For an operator weighing whether to join, the two numbers to model first are the RTA fare chart distance for the route, since that fixes the Rs 3 per kilometre subsidy, and the age of the bus, since that determines whether the Rs 10,00,000 replacement assistance is available now or later.

How to check your application status

The Mhaji Bus Scheme has no online applicant dashboard or tracking portal. Enrolment under Form-MM1 and claims under Annexures A, B and C are paper submissions to Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL), so status has to be checked directly with KTCL rather than through a website login.

1. Keep your acknowledgement copy. When you submit Form-MM1 or a claim annexure at the KTCL office in Alto-Porvorim, get the receiving clerk to stamp and date a photocopy of the covering letter. This stamped copy is your only proof of submission date and is what KTCL staff will ask for when you follow up.

2. Call or visit KTCL at Paraiso Goa Building, Alto-Porvorim, Bardez, Goa 403521, and quote the date of submission and your bus's registration number. Since there is no centralized reference number issued at intake, the registration number and submission date are what KTCL uses internally to locate a file.

3. Ask specifically which stage the file is at: whether it is still with the verifying officer or General Manager for document checks, whether a field inspection of the bus has been scheduled or completed, or whether it is ready for the Letter of Empanelment to be issued.

4. For a pending claim (Annexure A, B or C after empanelment), ask whether the claim has been certified against the RTA fare chart or insurance proof submitted, and whether payment has been processed or is awaiting the next disbursement cycle. Operators typically follow up in person or by phone rather than in writing, since KTCL does not run a helpline number dedicated only to status queries.

5. If verification flags a document gap, KTCL will typically ask for the missing paper (an updated tax receipt, a fresh PUC certificate, or an insurance proof) before the file can move forward. Resubmit the corrected document as a fresh covering letter referencing the original submission date, and keep a stamped copy of that resubmission as well.

6. Once empanelled, the signed Agreement copy you receive is your ongoing proof of active status in the scheme; retain it along with the Letter of Empanelment, since these are the documents KTCL and the Regional Transport Authority will reference for any future dispute over subsidy eligibility.