HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) and Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) on Friday launched a common pass for Metro and bus services, with the monthly pass priced at Rs 8,500.
Valid for 30 calendar days, the pass will cost Rs 7,000 for the Metro component and Rs 1,500 for RTC services. At Rs 8,500 a month, it is priced at a level that may make it more relevant to higher-income commuters and those with substantial daily travel requirements.
A one-day common pass has been priced at Rs 400, with Rs 300 going to HMRL and Rs 100 to TGSRTC. A refundable card fee of Rs 100 will be collected when the pass is purchased for the first time.
The common pass was launched by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar at Praja Bhavan. As part of the launch, Vikramarka purchased one-day common passes for 15 ministers, including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
A group of ministers, including Vikramarka and Prabhakar, will Ponnam Prabhakaravel using the common pass on Saturday, beginning from Begumpet Metro station, to assess the integration between Metro and RTC services.
One pass for all transport modes
The pass will be available at all Metro stations. The government plans to eventually bring other modes of public transport, including auto-rickshaws, onto a common digital platform, though Prabhakar said discussions with auto-rickshaw drivers’ unions would be held before a decision is taken.
Prabhakar said the government was working towards integrating RTC, Metro and auto services to improve connectivity between Hyderabad and surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, a digital weekly RTC bus pass priced at Rs 600 was also introduced through the MeeTicket app. The app allows passengers MeeTicket appto purchase and renew passes digitally, with tickets carrying a dynamic QR code for verification.