TSRTC gets closer to citizens

The TSRTC is evolving into a much responsive mode of public transport, and whatever initiatives that are being introduced with the aim of serving the public is being made known to the targeted audience as well.

Hyderabad: There were days when very few knew about what was happening with and in the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), or even how to get one’s grievances on the corporation’s services addressed. That is now becoming history.

The TSRTC is evolving into a much responsive mode of public transport, and whatever initiatives that are being introduced with the aim of serving the public is being made known to the targeted audience as well. All this is being done with an increased focus on the use of social media and technology with the objective of getting closer to passengers and improving their experience on the corporation’s buses.

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And the man at the helm of affairs of the corporation, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director VC Sajjanar, is the brain behind the new face of one of the most affordable modes of public transport in the State.

While offers and new services are being publicised with the help of various social media platforms, the same platforms are being made use of to address grievances aired by the public. A look at the Twitter handle of the corporation, @TSRTCHQ, and that of the Managing Director, @tsrtcmdoffice, makes this clear.

Sajjanar’s team has been active than ever on Twitter in particular, responding to complaints, and also making known the initiatives and offers the corporation is launching. Like his official Twitter handle bio says, ‘Give us a chance to serve you’, the corporation under Sajjanar is making a conscious effort to get closer to the public and in turn, come out of the dire straits it was in for decades.

Sajjanar, who was instrumental in doing away with additional fares during Dasara specials, also made sure that the corporation’s employees were happy by ensuring that they get salaries in their bank accounts on the first of every month.

The other initiatives, which saw many tweets going viral as the RTC announced them, include gifts for booking an RTC bus for marriages, digital payments on buses, making cargo services more accessible to the public and also renting out the buses for whoever needed them for private occasions.

The senior cop, whose previous posting was as the Cyberabad Police Commissioner, has also made sure that the corporation was quick enough to respond to complaints and suggestions from passengers through social media.

Apart from using popular movie dialogues, posters and clips to send messages across to the public, efforts are on to increase the number of people opting for TSRTC bus services, says Sajjanar.

“Social media is quite effective with citizens, covering mostly youngsters. Making exciting offers on one hand and sharing them on social media official accounts of the corporation helps in drawing more people,” Sajjanar said, who himself is setting an example by travelling on RTC buses whenever possible.