TSRTC sees drastic slump in passenger occupancy

With the spike in Covid-19 cases across Hyderabad, the Greater Hyderabad Zone of the RTC is witnessing a drop in passenger occupancy and is expected to come down even further in coming days

Hyderabad: The cash-strapped Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), which was about achieve its revenue target for the just concluded financial year, is once again running through tough days with the Covid-19 pandemic once again hitting city operations.

With the spike in Covid-19 cases across the city, the Greater Hyderabad Zone (GHZ) of the RTC is witnessing a drop in passenger occupancy and is expected to come down even further in coming days. In the few weeks, the occupancy dipped sharply below 50 per cent. The closure of educational institutions also hit the corporation with the daily revenue dropping by Rs 1 crore in the GHZ.

According to officials, though the RTC performed well between November and mid-March after resumption of services, the revenue was falling in recent times, all on account of the rise in Covid-19 cases. V Venkateshwarlu, Executive Director (GHZ), said the revenue, which was around Rs 2.7 crore a day, fell to Rs 1.7 crore in the last few days.

At present, the RTC is operating 100 per cent city services with a fleet of 2,800 buses, which include 2,400 buses by RTC and 400 hired ones.

“We have not received any guidelines from the State government on reducing the operations. We are regularly sanitising buses and maintaining them clean and safe,” he said.
Officials said there was a certain fear among the public to travel in public transport given the pandemic. However, it was safe to travel in the RTC wearing face masks and frequently sanitising hands, they say.

The daily revenue of RTC before Covid-19 struck was around Rs 3.2 crore. The city services resumed on September 25 after being confined to depots for six months.

Maharashtra services suspended

Meanwhile, the TSRTC has suspended buses going to some parts of Maharashtra with the sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in that State. “We have temporarily suspended buses going to Nanded, Khilwat, Dharmabad and Himayat Nagar,” said Vijaya Bhasker, Regional Manager (Adilabad).

This apart, passenger occupancy has been reduced in buses going to Nagpur. “We are maintaining physical distancing and ensuring that all Covid-19 protocols are followed without fail,” he added.

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