RTC strike disrupts transport across Telangana, losses mount

The TGSRTC strike has severely disrupted bus services across Telangana for the second day, affecting lakhs of commuters. With thousands of buses off the roads, the corporation is losing nearly Rs 15 crore daily while passengers face higher private transport costs.

Hyderabad: The indefinite strike by employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) brought public transport services across the State to a near halt for the second day, disrupting daily life for lakhs of commuters and causing significant financial losses to the corporation.

The strike has seen active participation from thousands of RTC employees, leaving bus operations severely impacted for the past two days. Depots across Telangana remained bereft of much activity, with thousands of buses remaining parked.

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TGSRTC currently has around 38,500 employees and operates a fleet of about 9,000 – 9,100 buses across the State. Of these, nearly 6,300 are owned buses while around 2,700 are hired vehicles run under agreements. In the Hyderabad region alone, about 3,000 buses form the core of the city’s public transport network.

However, due to the strike, a majority of these buses, estimated between 6,000 and 9,000, have remained off the roads, crippling connectivity in both urban and rural areas.

Before the strike, TGSRTC was catering to approximately 54 to 60 lakh passengers daily across Telangana. The Hyderabad region accounted for nearly 18 to 20 lakh commuters every day, highlighting the critical dependence on RTC services in the capital city.

A substantial share of passengers are from ‘Mahalakshmi’ free travel for women scheme. On average, around 35 lakh zero ticket journeys are recorded daily across the State, with nearly 14 lakh such passengers from Hyderabad region.

With buses unavailable, commuters were forced to rely on private transport, including auto rickshaws and cabs, many of which have hiked fares amid the surge in demand.

The strike is also having a severe blow to the corporation’s finances, which had just started moving from losses to profits. With average daily earnings pegged at around Rs 15 – Rs 16 crore, RTC coffers are estimated to be losing nearly the same amount each day the strike continues.

Of this, the Hyderabad region alone accounts for an estimated Rs 5 to Rs 6 crore loss per day, given its high passenger volume and revenue contribution.