Bus fare hike compels citizens to switch to share autos in city

Hyderabad: With the rise in State-run bus fares, people are now opting for shared autos, despite the risk involved. The noticeable hike in both bus fares and bus passes from the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation has led to shared autos effectively taking the place of buses as the favored mode of transport on numerous standard routes.

These sharing autos have already overtaken the few buses in the city in recent years. Now, with the bus fare increase and low frequency of buses plying in various routes in the city, people shifted to the sharing-autos. On several standard routes where bus frequency is low, commuters are opting for share-autos to avoid long waits.

A few routes include – Koti, Nampally, Mehdipatnam, Shaikpet, Attapura, Afzal Gunj, MJ Market, Secunderabad, Begumpet, Uppal, L B Nagar, Khairtabad, Punjagutta, Malkajgiri, Bowenpally, Kompally, Santosh Nagar, Charminar, Falaknuma etc.

These shared autos are widely accessible throughout the city at affordable rates. They even operate between Koti and Santosh Nagar, with a typical 5 km trip costing around Rs 20 to Rs 25. The drivers of these autos charge a minimum of Rs 10, and for a direct point-to-point ride, the fare is max Rs 30. A passenger pointed out that the route Jeedimetla – Bowenpally the auto is charging Rs 15 for 9 km which is very less compared to bus.

Prashant, who frequently uses the RTC bus, expressed that the rise in bus fares is impacting its users, particularly those who commute daily and come from low-income backgrounds. The corporation has raised the fares by amounts ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 10 or more, depending on the distance traveled. “Rather than paying more and waiting for buses, the affordable shared autos are a more convenient option,” he remarked.

B Adarsh, an engineering student who travels by RTC bus, expressed, “There are times when a bus is late or when I miss it, and I end up waiting a long time for the next one. I hesitate to use other forms of transport, thinking they might be more expensive. However, with the rising bus fares, alternative transport options are becoming more affordable compared to the RTC bus.”

Activist Mohamed Asif Hussain Sohail expressed, “TGSRTC is the only transportation option for many people, including students. However, the rise in fares and the increase in bus pass prices are placing a heavy burden on its passengers, with the exception of women who benefit from the scheme,” he noted.

One observer pointed out that these shared autos are often driven at overspeed, recklessly, and with too many passengers. With the limited number of buses on various routes being overtaken by autos, these vehicles are frequently carrying extra passengers.

“In an auto that accommodates four people, including the driver, at least five passengers are often crammed inside, which poses a significant danger. They are driving at high speeds, aggressively, and in a manner that is extremely hazardous, causing chaos for both motorists and pedestrians. This situation must be addressed,” expressed Syed Masood.

The fare revision starting from Monday came as part of the government’s plan to replace diesel buses with electric buses. As per the new fares, the first three stops have been paying a minimum fare of Rs 10, which increase as per the distance of the destination or bus stop, will now have to pay Rs 15 while the minimum fare from the fourth bus stop onwards, is likely to be approximately Rs 20. Moreover, in June, the TGSRTC has raised the bus pass fares across all categories by 20 percent.