The state transport authority on Thursday granted licence to Zoom Car India, a self-drive car rental service, ahead of the Men’s Hockey World Cup scheduled to begin next month.

A transport department official said that this was the first licence issued in the state under the “rent-a-cab scheme” under which anyone having a valid driving licence to drive light motor vehicles can hire a cab. Transport commissioner Sanjeeb Panda said that the decision was taken keeping in mind the flow of foreign tourists to the state capital for the tournament.

“The tourists can hire a car and drive it on their own which will be convenient for them. Such practice is quite popular in a number of foreign countries,” said Panda.

Though the Zoom Car India has introduced the service in November last year, it obtained the license today.

“While the fare and other fees will be decided by the operator, our role will be to address the grievances of the consumers. People can also report us any matter related to harassment,” said a transport official.

More than 20,000 foreigners are expected to throng the state capital for the 16 nations tournament. The state government has also made arrangements for their stay in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri.

A transport official said that the scheme would be beneficial for foreign tourists opting to stay in Puri and Cuttack.

Thirty-six matches will be played in the tournament that begins on November 28. The final match will be played on December 16. To hire a cab on rent, one has to download the app and upload the photographs of the driving licence and Aadhaar card for verification. After verification the person needs to pay Rs 5,000 as security money and Rs 70 as minimum recharge per hour for the cab.

“At present, we have five cars that will be increased to 50 by the time the world cup begins. All the vehicles are equipped with GPS system. We now have one hub at Patia and are also planning to come up with another at the airport,” said an official of the company.