APSRTC to run more buses to Hyderabad, Telangana districts

Vijayawada: THE Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is gearing up to operate more bus services to Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana following an agreement reached on Monday by APSRTC and its counterpart the TSRTC on operating services and distance to be covered in two States.

Due to the impact of Covid, the two RTCs had suspended services since March. After prolonged discussions and a series of meetings the two sides struck a deal on Monday and services resumed on Monday. But, they were in limited numbers. Most passengers were unaware of the resumption of services between the two States.

On Tuesday, the depots resumed services from Krishna district and other parts of the State. It is assumed that it will take some more days or weeks to operate more services between the two States since the impact of Covid is now visible clearly. Besides, the threat of second wave of Covid in Europe and the US haunts the people of two Telugu states.

In this backdrop, the APSRTC may act cautiously before operating all services to Hyderabad.

The Krishna region operates 118 services to Hyderabad and nearby areas. Vijayawada is the main connecting city between Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts and Coastal Andhra Pradesh particularly the North Coastal districts.

Nearly 60 buses from Coastal districts from West Godavari to Srikakulam are operated to Hyderabad. RTC depots in these districts have to assess the demand on the Hyderabad route.

So far, the occupancy ratio of the RTC buses within AP is between 50 and 55 only, said a senior RTC official in Vijayawada. The RTC has suspended the Covid guidelines on seating of passengers. Consequently, the RTC can operate with full capacity.

If the RTC operates with full capacity it can recover the losses it sustained during the lockdown period. If the occupancy ratio continues at 40 to 50 per cent, the APSRTC has to suffer losses, said a senior official.

On the other hand, the RTC is strictly following the Covid guidelines on masks and sanitisation. All passengers are asked to wear masks at the Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) in Vijayawada and sanitisors are arranged in the bus station.