Telangana State RTC ‘Vajra’ mini buses lying idle, unused
These air-conditioned luxurious mini buses were purchased to provide a good travel experience to the passengers during the previous government
Hyderabad: Most of the mini buses ‘Vajra’, procured by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) about eight years ago have been lying idle and unused.
Nearly 100 of these buses were bought at a total cost of Rs 25 crore. While few are being operated on the IT Corridor as part of the last mile connectivity initiative, almost 50 buses are in scrap condition and ready to be disposed of.
These air-conditioned luxurious mini buses were purchased to provide a good travel experience to the passengers during the previous government. Currently, most of these buses have been lying idle in the vacant land beside the Bus Bhavan in Musheerabad for the past few years. Their condition is deteriorating day by day as no steps have been taken for their maintenance.
The RTC started Vajra bus services in 2017 and operated services from Mehdipatnam, Kukatpally, Dilsukhnagar to Karimnagar, Warangal, Godavarakhani and other places in the State. However, they were put aside without running for atleast two years.
It is learnt that these bus services were stopped due to the fact that tickets were available only through online booking, the charges were high, and the occupancy was not more than 50 per cent.
Subsequently, for some time these buses were rented out to citizens for specific purposes. RTC had started bus services called ‘Cyber Liners’ (mini buses) to the newly-opened US Consulate from Raidurg metro station and to DLF, Waverock and GAR. They were stationed at the metro stations in the IT Corridor to drive employees to their offices, as part of the last mile connectivity.
The corporation also rents out these buses at much cheaper rates than private vehicles, without any cash deposit in advance. Depending upon the size of groups, either mini bus or regular buses can be booked.
“Citizens can hire a Mini Vajra bus for a group of 40 people for weddings, outing, picnic or ‘Vanabhojanam’. The buses are being hired out on an hourly basis instead of charging for a whole day, if not required,” said a RTC official.
However, most of the mini buses are still limited to depots as they are not much popular with the passengers. While 10 buses are used by the Logistics Wing, about 40 buses are stationed in district depots.
Meanwhile, there are concerns that had the mini buses were sold earlier in a good condition, the RTC would have got a fair price. But now, they are lying useless and as scrap material.
