VIJAYAWADA: Raising serious objections to the decision of State government and Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport (APSRTC) to handover the RTC depots to private electric bus operators, the Andhra Pradesh Public Transport Department (APPTD) Employees’ Union has demanded that the decision be withdrawn immediately, terming it a threat to the future of the public transport corporation.
In an official statement issued on Monday, the union leaders said the decision to vacate Guntur-2 Depot and
Vidyadharapuram Depot in Vijayawada city for electric bus operators should be withdrawn immediately and that alternative vacant government land should instead be allotted to private operators.
The union leaders announced that protests will be launched in the first phase at all 11 depots where electric buses are scheduled to be introduced from February 20.
The leaders also urged the APSRTC management to convene a meeting with employees’ unions to discuss issues related to electric buses and clear apprehensions among employees. While welcoming the introduction of electric buses in APSRTC, the union stressed that operations should be managed directly by APSRTC with the support of the Central and State governments, rather than being entirely handed over to private operators.