VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) will run 4,000 special buses between October 8 and 18 to ensure hassle-free journey for passengers during Dasara. Many of these special buses will be operated to and from Telangana, Bengaluru and Chennai.
Disclosing the details before mediapersons at RTC House here on Wednesday, RTC vice-chairman and managing director Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said 1,383 of the 4,000 buses are planned from Hyderabad, 277 from Bengaluru, 97 from Chennai; the remaining 2,243 buses are planned for clearance of traffic within the State. The passengers will have to pay for extra fare, he said. The corporation will be operating around 1,800 buses from October 8 to 14, and the remaining 2,200 between October 15 to 18. In 2019, the RTC operated 4,614 buses--2,204 during Dasara and 2,410 post-Dasara. In 2020, however, the corporation didn’t operate the special buses owing to the Covid-19 conditions.
Responding to the complaints of the passengers that APSRTC levies higher charges during festivals, the officials said the special buses run with almost zero per cent passenger occupancy on one way; and even when we levy 1 1/2% times the original charges, the corporation still runs in losses. “Moreover, the recent hike in fuel prices is also a reason why the charges are higher this year.”
On equipping the buses with GPS system, the RTC MD said the corporation has installed the equipment in some buses and the remaining will also be equipped with them at the earliest. “Plans are afoot to refurbish the Palle Velugu buses in a phased manner. A special drive will be conducted shortly to prevent the illegal operations of private vehicles and sensitise people over the benefits of commuting in public transport.”