The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) loss is fetching rich dividends to private operators. With RTC fleet off the roads, the private operators are fleecing the passengers by charging exorbitant rates for the common man’s daily transportation needs.
Be it the private buses or the autowallahs, the passengers are forced to shell out double the fare that they used to pay travelling in RTC buses.
The RTC buses have been off the roads since the past 50 days with the employees participating in the Samaikyandhra agitation.
Taking this to their advantage, the private bus operators are looting the passengers by charging high fares.
For a journey of just 50 kilometres, the private transporters are charging nearly `100 and people travelling to the city from areas like Kavali, Ozili, Naidupet, Gudur and Podalakuru are bearing the brunt of the exorbitant rates.
An estimated 1.50 lakh people from nearby 200 villages within a distance of 50 kms come to the Nellore city daily for various business transactions.
Before the strike they used to travel in RTC buses by paying `40 from Kavali while the fare used to be `30 from Gudur.
Nearly 45,000 autos and 250 private buses are being operated in the district and are cashing in on the lack of RTC buses. The autorickshaw drivers are even carrying passengers even to villages like Tada, Udayagiri, Sulurpet, Seethamapuram and others which are located in 160 kilometre distance from Nellore.