The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) restored 100 per cent services in Greater Hyderabad Zone from Tuesday.
With the reopening of educational institutions, TSRTC authorities decided to operate 100 per cent buses in and around the state capital.
The state-owned transport body will operate 1,286 TSRTC buses and 265 hired buses every day. According to officials, these buses will be making 18,478 trips covering 4.25 lakh km in Greater Hyderabad Zone (GHZ).
The bus services connect various parts of Hyderabad and surrounding villages and mandals.
TSRTC officials said since schools re-opened from September 1 and other business-related activities were returning to normal, they decided to resume 100 per cent bus services.
The cash-strapped TSRTC has been operating partial services for more than a year. Only 50 per cent of the buses were being operated since June 20 this year after the lifting of the 39-day lockdown.
TSRTC buses had remained off the roads in the city for six months last year. Though services resumed partially across the state in May last year after nearly two months due to the lockdown, the city services resumed only on September 25.
The pandemic caused a loss of Rs 2,600 crore to TSRTC, which was already making losses.
Lockdown, post-lockdown restrictions, drop in occupancy added to the losses. It tried to minimize the losses by launching parcel cargo and courier services.
Last month, the TSRTC’s per day revenue peaked at Rs 13.04 crore, the highest since the pandemic. The occupancy also reached 78 per cent, the highest in more than a year.
Before the pandemic, the transport body had 10,460 buses and it used to ferry a little over one crore people every day across the state. The daily revenue was over Rs 14 crore.
Greater Hyderabad Zone used to contribute Rs 3.2 crore to the transport entity’s overall daily revenue.
In the State Budget for 2021-22, TSRTC was allocated Rs 1,500 crore and the government also promised another Rs 1,500 crore through other resources like loans.
Of this the government has arranged Rs 1,000 crore as loans to pay salaries and meet other liabilities.
Recently, the TSRTC decided to purchase 280 new buses for Rs 100 crores.
