HYDERABAD: With an objective to attract more passengers, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has decided to appoint 2,000 Village Bus Officers. Deployed in villages across the State, these officers will be entrusted with the responsibility of resolving any problems related to bus services.
The TSRTC is currently provided bus facilities to around 10,000 villages across the State. TSRTC Managing Director VC Sajjanar stated that the Village Bus Officers (VBO) system is aimed to make the services more accessible to the people. “The officers will be appointed as soon as possible and the system will be implemented from May 1. Necessary guidelines have been issued for the appointment of Village Bus Officers. The move is expected to make public transportation more accessible and convenient for passengers travelling to and from the rural areas and encourage them to use TSRTC services,” he said.
He revealed that TSRTC conductors, drivers and other employees living in villages will be appointed by depot managers as Village Bus Officers. “Preference will be given to those who have good relations with people and come forward to work voluntarily. As per the guidelines, their primary responsibility will be to maintain cordial relations with the local people. They will be appointed based on the size of the villages, with one officer for larger villages and one officer for two or three smaller villages. Each officer will be responsible for a maximum of five villages. The depot managers will appoint one officer per ward in Hyderabad as well as other municipalities,” he added.
The VBOs will meet with villagers every 15 days to gather information about bus schedules, new routes, services, issues and other related matters. They will also collect details about weddings, festivals and other important events in the villages and make arrangements to run additional bus services. They will encourage people to use RTC buses instead of private vehicles and offer their rented buses for weddings and other auspicious occasions. To encourage these officers, the corporation will also be rewarding the best-performing officers with special awards every three months.