Bus stations were bursting at their seams ahead of Sankranti as thousands of passengers were leaving for their destination to celebrate the festival.
While several passengers had booked their tickets much ahead of the festival, massive rush was witnessed at key bus stations – Jubilee and Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station.
Krishna Prasad, a passenger, said he has paid twice the amount to reach Adilabad. “Even the RTC is increasing its fare. The issue is that I have to take my wife and daughter along. So the travel becomes expensive for me,” he said. And even as he was speaking, a bus arrived at the station resulting in travellers scampering to board it. They tossed the luggage and clamoured onto it and the scene was similar across all platforms.
Days ahead of the festival season, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) had announced that over 5,000 special buses would be pressed into service. While it had also requested passengers to book their tickets early, it could not stop the massive inflow of passengers.
At the KPHB bus stop, vehicular traffic was affected as passengers travelling to destinations in Andhra Pradesh and waiting for their buses occupied the road. It took commuters over 15 minutes to traverse a distance of about 50 metres.
Smooth operations
TSRTC officials said traffic towards cities and villages in different districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh began on Thursday, while huge inflow of passengers continued on Friday. A large number of officials, including Executive Director (Operations) P. Komuraiah, were on the field ensuring smooth operations.
“Quite a lot of passengers are at JBS, MGBS and Uppal Crossroads. We have planned well in advance and staff are on the field to look into every issue, if it crops up,” Mr. Komuraiah said.
Another TSRTC employee, who did not wish to be identified, said the rush was seen even during the afternoon. “Since Thursday, thousands have boarded our buses. Stations are packed even at 2 p.m.,” he added.
Private bus operators continued to make a killing what with the soaring prices. There were instances of operators charging nearly twice than the usual fare. Some passengers said due to unavailability of RTC bus tickets, they were left with no option but to cough up money demanded by private bus operators.
“Usually, the fare to Visakhapatnam is ₹900 and ₹1,700. But private tour operators are charging up to ₹3,500,” said G.S.R. Chaitanya, a frequent traveller.
“The passenger rush is expected to increase during evening and night,” said a TSRTC official.