HYDERABAD: After the review meeting with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday, the TSRTC, from Monday onwards, increased its bus routes in the city by 25 per cent. Now, a total of 1,700 buses are plying in Hyderabad.
Speaking to Express, an official from TSRTC, said, “We have recorded a steady rise in occupancy rate as well. From a meagre occupancy of 10 per cent when the lockdown lifted, we are now doing a good 45-50 per cent. Revenue earnings have also increased to Rs 1.3 crore on a daily basis. We are sure that soon we will be able to run with 100 per cent occupancy in all the routes.”
Buses in areas such as Koti, Begum Bazar, Lal Bungalow routes are mostly full especially during office hours. However, buses travelling towards HiTec City, Madhapur and Jubilee Hills are yet to pick up pace as many IT firms, schools and colleges have not reopened.
The TSRTC also started buses to Andhra Pradesh after signing an MoU with APSRTC. The decision had come after four rounds of extensive negotiations over seven months, where both the parties agreed to a kilometre parity. However, occupancy in inter-state bus services has not picked up much, except in the festival season.