Boarding city buses a herculean task in Hyderabad

In several areas bus users, particularly women and students face hardships in accessing public transport with RTC buses mostly not halting at designated stops.

Hyderabad: Boarding a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) bus has become a herculean task for the commuters, with most of the drivers in the city either stopping buses in the middle of the road or away from the stop, instead of using the designated bus bays.

In several areas including Secunderabad railway station, Borabanda, Afzalgunj, Kukatpally, Uppal, Habsiguda, Nacharam, Musheerabad, Paradise, Chikkadpally, Patny and Charminar, bus users, particularly women and students face hardships in accessing public transport with RTC buses mostly not halting at designated stops.

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This has led to overcrowded buses, more particularly ever since ‘Mahalakshmi’ free travel scheme for women was introduced. Apart from this, the safety of passengers is also a concern. Numerous complaints have been raised highlighting the risk of such a practice, particularly in crowded areas.

Despite RTC officials striving to bring in about some reforms to make bus rides smoother for patrons, the latter say not much change is seen on ground.

Sushmita, a private employee who regularly travels between Hitec City and Secunderabad, said, “we wait for the buses to arrive at the bus bays, but most drivers do not stop them there and halt some distance away. We have to rush and struggle to board the bus.”

An elderly passenger Sheela from Chikkadpally said, “usually buses do not stop at designated stops. We sometimes have to go to the middle of the road to board it. With the heavy traffic, I am so scared of mishaps”.

Meanwhile, RTC authorities said all their drivers and conductors are trained and regular orientation is given on passenger safety. All necessary precautions are taken and instructions are to be followed to ensure a smooth embarking and disembarking for passengers also.

“The drivers have been asked to stop at bus bays. While most of the times it is practiced, rarely in a few instances due to the space constraints and safety of commuters at the spot, drivers tend to stop the buses a little away,” said a senior RTC official.