TSRTC extended buses on 11 new routes in Greater Hyderabad

Madharam, a tiny hamlet in Ranga Reddy district, had to walk quite a few kilometres till the nearest bus stop to board a bus. At times, they had to depend on auto-rickshaws and private vehicles which charged several times higher than the State-run buses.However, the story has changed now. The villagers today board the 280/564-JBS to Madharam via Uppal and Bibinagar bus right at their doorstep, to reach the city. The story is the same for many villages on the city outskirts with the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation expanding its operations in the Greater Hyderabad Zone (GHZ).

With an aim to utilise its 3,500-strong fleet to the hilt, the TSRTC has introduced 25 new routes in the city since 2017, including the 11W-Ameerpet to Waverock via Yousufguda and Hitech City bus, the 83J/272G-Gandimaisamma to Kachiguda via Balanagar bus, the 16D-Secunderabad to Dammaiguda via Malkajgiri and Sainikpuri bus and the 113IM-Chengicherla to Mehdipatnam via Lakdikapool bus, to mention a few.

09This apart, TSRTC has extended buses on 11 routes based on public representation. During the last one and half year, buses have been extended to parts such as Toli Masjid, Sriram Nagar, Arya Maisamma, Aramgarh, Indira Nagar and others.TSRTC officials said the corporation was committed to provide bus service to all places where there was a requirement of public transportation.

“There are some 1,000 villages which lack roads where buses can operate. Those are the only places where the corporation is yet to provide public transportation,” officials said.

Emphasis is being laid on extending bus connectivity to every nook and cranny of the city irrespective of profits, while plans are afoot to introduce mini buses on narrow and congested roads, a senior official said.

On the other hand, considering the patronage of airport-bound passengers, the corporation has improved the bus connectivity to the Shamshabad Airport. A total of 61 buses, including 6 Metro Express buses and 41 Pushpak buses, are plying 299 round trips every day on this route.

A Sridhar, Deputy Chief Traffic Manager, TSRTC (GHZ), said that it was a continuous process to scout for new routes and that buses would be provided based on traffic potential and economic feasibility.

“The Corporation receives several requests from passengers on introduction of new routes or extension of buses and a decision will be taken after a brief study,” he said.

“As more colonies keep coming up and existing ones grow in and around the twin cities, we are gearing up to provide last mile connectivity based on demand,” he added.