HYDERABAD: Public transport across Telangana was impacted on Wednesday as buses of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation remained confined to depots following the failure of talks between the management and the RTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) late Tuesday night.
The statewide strike, called by the JAC, began in the early hours of Wednesday, with employees boycotting duties and leaving thousands of buses off the roads. The disruption has severely impacted commuter movement, triggering widespread inconvenience across urban and rural areas alike. In Hyderabad, services were largely suspended at key hubs such as the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station and Jubilee Bus Station.
According to sources around 1,000 buses have been arranged through rental and outsourcing mechanisms for the first day of the strike. However, meeting commuter demand, particularly in the Greater Hyderabad region, remains a significant challenge.
On a typical day, nearly 3,000 RTC buses serve approximately 26 lakh passengers in the city. It is estimated that at least 2,000 buses are required to manage demand effectively, but the current availability falls far short, raising concerns over continued commuter distress. Across the state, the corporation operates over 6,500 buses, with nearly 26 lakh commuters in Hyderabad alone depending on RTC services for their daily travel.