HYDERABAD: Commuters hoping to return home from neighbouring States, especially Andhra Pradesh, heaved a sigh of relief as interstate private bus services resumed on Saturday. With the option of only a handful trains and expensive cab rides, many students and migrant workers were stuck in AP. However, it is feared that the private bus services will use this opportunity to jack up tickets prices. For example, from Vijayawada to Hyderabad, over 50 bus services are available with tickets ranging from `700 to `2,000. With the relaxation of lockdown norms in May, AP and TS, resumed the bus services within their respective territories but the inter-State services remained suspended.

Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) and Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) had agreed on June 17 to resume the inter-State services. APSRTC had mooted a proposal to operate 256 buses to Telangana and resume the remaining in a phased manner. However, TSRTC has been insisting that APSRTC reduce the number of kilometres operated by its buses in Telangana.

While TSRTC is operating its services only on 175 routes in Andhra Pradesh with 554 buses, APSRTC has been operating on 386 routes with 1,226 buses in Telangana. However, officials from TSRTC claim that increasing the number of routes in AP will not benefit TSRTC as the number passengers may not increase. This will lead to reduced revenue per bus. Additionally, there is substantial demand that city buses be operated as many educational institutions are set to reopen from September 15.