TGSRTC calls reports on privitisation of bus depots untrue

Says all necessary operations except maintenance and charging of electric buses will be done under the auspices of TGSRTC

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) on Wednesday described reports on privitisation of the bus depots as untrue and said all necessary operations except maintenance and charging of electric buses will be done under the auspices of TGSRTC.

The RTC was making environmentally friendly electric buses available to the citizens as per the Central Government’s EV Policy and all operations of buses, including electric buses at the depots, were being managed entirely under by the RTC.

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TGSRTC has been implementing the EV policy adopted across the country in the use of electric buses since 2019. Direct purchase of electric buses is a costly task. In this context, as per the Central Government’s EV policy, payments are made to the companies through the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) method, i.e. according to the kilometres the bus travels.

“Each depot has different routes such as rural, urban, etc. It is not possible to run electric buses on all routes. The corporation identifies routes based on the kilometers that electric buses can run. Each depot has a mix of electric and diesel. Like private rental buses, all electric buses are run by the RTC,” officials said.

The ticket revenue generated by those buses goes directly to the RTC. As per the agreement, cash is paid to the companies based on the kilometres travelled, they said.