Intra-state bus service may resume from tomorrow in Andhra Pradesh
VIJAYAWADA: After the Centre announced relaxations for public transportation, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is likely to resume its intra-state service from Thursday. Official sources said plans are under consideration to initially operate city buses in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, and wearing face masks and following physical distancing norms are mandatory for passengers.
Public transport department commissioner Madireddy Pratap was supposed to brief the media on Tuesday, but the meeting was cancelled and the commissioner is likely to make an official announcement on Wednesday. Bookings through APSRTC’s website, www.apsrtconline.in/oprs-web/, are possible only with mobile numbers registered on the Spandana portal and which are accepted by the district administration as per the government guidelines.
A senior RTC official told TNIE on the condition of anonymity that the department operated around 12,600 buses across the state every day before a lockdown. “On an average, the daily ridership and revenue earning of the RTC were around 65-70 lakh and Rs 13-Rs 15 crore, respectively. After the enforcement of the lockdown, the department has incurred a cumulative loss of Rs 700 crore,” the official noted.
On whether the government will offer the RTC any package to recover the incurred losses, the official observed that after the corporation’s merger with the state government four months ago, it has been functioning as Public Transport Department (PTD). “Hence, the APSRTC is not affected much as it is not at all a corporation anymore.” He added any decision on hike in ticket fare was yet to be taken.
“Instead, the department is now focusing on strengthening its cargo services. E-ticketing and cashless transactions are other proposals under consideration and decisions regarding them will be taken after getting a nod from the Chief Minister.” Meanwhile, APSRTC’s Employees Union said, “As of now, the government is facing severe criticism from the public over steep hike in power bills. We hope that the government does not hike the ticket fare and burden the common man.”
‘RTC incurred loss worth Rs 700 crore’
On an average, the daily ridership and revenue earning of the RTC were around 65-70 lakh and Rs 13-Rs 15 crore, respectively. After the enforcement of the lockdown, the corporation has incurred a cumulative loss of Rs 700 crore, a senior RTC official said.