VIJAYAWADA: Bus services between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are likely to resume soon. Though a decision is expected next Wednesday, services are likely to resume in four phases, and in the first phase, the APSRTC plans to operate 256 services to Telangana.
Senior APSRTC and TSRTC officials had their maiden meeting since the lockdown norms were eased to permit inter-state transport, at the RTC House in Vijayawada on Thursday. They discussed the operational challenges and decided to resume services in four phases.
Briefing the media later, APSRTC executive director (operations) KS Brahmanandha Reddy said the Corporation started operating 168 services to Karnataka a couple of days ago. "We sent proposals to Telangana for us to operate 256 services from 13 districts in the first phase. Of them, 20 will be operated from Kurnool and Guntur, 12 from Anantapur, 10 each from Kadapa, Chittoor and Nellore, five from Prakasam, and 66 from Vijayawada and other places. All services were planned based on passengers’ feedback," he said, adding that a decision on operating buses will be taken during the second round of talks, which will be held within a week.
Asked whether only passengers enrolled on the Spandana portal will be allowed to travel to Hyderabad, Reddy maintained that the matter will be taken up with Principal Secretary (Transport) MT Krishna Babu.
Passengers going to Karnataka can book tickets in advance on the APSRTC and KSRTC websites. However, the Karnataka government sought for passengers to register on their state’s Seva Sindhu portal. "Proof of self-registration will have to be shown to APSRTC officials before they board buses, and also to the Karnataka police at the border. Passengers will have to carry their Aadhaar," he said.
Once people book tickets online, their details will be sent to the revenue, police and health departments as part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Carrying Aadhaar mandatory
Principal Secretary (Transport) MT Krishna Babu said passengers will have to carry their Aadhaar when travelling to Karnataka. Details used to book tickets will be sent to the government.