Telangana RTC all set to auction 800 buses in Hyderabad, Karimnagar

HYDERABAD:  The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) is slated to auction nearly 800 buses in the coming weeks. The process of auctioning off nearly 400 buses is already underway. 

A majority of the buses which will be auctioned will be from two zones, Greater Hyderabad and Karimnagar. What this effectively means is that while 3,400 buses were operated in the city before the 2019 strike would now be reduced by at least 400-600 buses.

"These buses are being auctioned because their economic life has come to an end. Several buses were turned into mobile toilets, while those left over, about 700-800 are ready to be auctioned," said a senior RTC official from the RTC.

While this may mean fewer buses, officials state that the deficit will not be felt on the routes or the eventual bus users. "There will be no effect on the routes or kilometres operated as the gap arising will be covered by bringing in more hired buses," added the official.

However, for Greater Hyderabad Zone, which has seen nearly 400-600 buses already removed from the fleet since the 2019 strike, there are still no replacements as very few private players are bidding hired services.

The RTC, after resuming its services in September, is running nearly 4 lakh km/day in Hyderabad as against its initial 11 lakh km/day. Many commuters thus worry that the pre-strike coverage of RTC in Greater Hyderabad will never return to normalcy despite the lockdown being lifted if the buses are auctioned. 

Brake in journey

A majority of the buses belong to Greater Hyderabad and Karimnagar zones. What this means is, while 3,400 buses plied in Hyd before the 2019 strike, they would now be reduced by at least 400-600