VIJAYAWADA: New diesel cess being imposed by Telangana State Road Transport Corporation on passengers of long-distance buses since June 9 has come as a blessing in disguise for its counterpart in Andhra Pradesh. APSRTC has seen a remarkable growth in the passenger occupancy ratio over the last few days as its fares are significantly less when compared to those of TSRTC buses.
TSRTC has begun imposing second diesel cess on all types of inter-city and long-distance services. The increase in cess depends on the distance travelled. As a result, bus fares from Telangana in long-distance services have gone up significantly.
For instance, TSRTC charges Rs 505 for a ticket for its 'super luxury' Vijayawada-Hyderabad buses as against APSRTC asking its customers to pay Rs 470 for a similar service. Hence, a majority of the passengers are opting to travel in APSRTC buses.
"Since June 9, footfall of passengers en route to Hyderabad has increased. Due to this, the APSRTC buses from Vijayawada to Hyderabad have become congested, registering a remarkable growth in revenue - Rs 4-5 lakh per day," officials said.
He added that advance ticket reservation can be availed. Meanwhile, several passengers feel that the maintenance of APSRTC buses is better than that of TSRTC buses. Due to the high day temperatures, there are many takers for AC buses.
If the situation continues, the APSRTC will reap benefits in the coming days as well, the officials felt. While TSRTC hiked the cess for the second time, the cess on APSRTC tickets has increased only once so far.