Preparation for TSRTC free travel scheme
Hyderabad: Days ahead of the Congress party’s decision to introduce free bus travel for women in Telangana, as part of the six guarantees promised during the election campaign, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has The process of preparing the land was started. execution. Initiative.
Top officials said that if it is implemented in TSRTC Palle Velugu and Express buses, the estimated cost of implementing the scheme of free travel in buses for women in Telangana will be Rs 2.200 million per year. If this initiative is limited to only Palle Velugu’s fleet of RTC buses, it will cost around Rs 750 million per year.
To ensure that the scheme of free bus travel for women is implemented efficiently, during the last few days, senior RTC officials have been active in analyzing the feasibility and financial implication of providing free bus service to women in different categories of buses. Have participated effectively.
A similar scheme is operational in Karnataka, which is why RTC officials have planned a two-day visit to Bengaluru to gather more information on its implementation. “A team of TSRTC officials has just visited Karnataka to meet Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) officials for the purpose of studying the scheme. Will visit places like Bengaluru and Gulbarga”, said a senior TSRTC official.
This plan covers all RTC services
The free bus itinerary for women in Telangana includes all TSRTC services including urban, ordinary and express bus services.
According to the scheme, women can use the free bus services only within Telangana. Travel across state borders, even if originating from within Telangana, will require purchase of a ticket.
It is learned that TSRTC is also exploring a reimbursement mechanism for free travel for women. The government will reimburse RTC based on the distance actually covered by the women.
Eskama Shakti in Karnataka
Yojana Shakti allows women of Karnataka to travel for free in non-premium buses running within the state. The scheme, launched on June 11, has benefited women to the tune of Rs 38.69 crore till August this year and has resulted in a burden of Rs 900 crore on the state exchequer.
Although the government allows women to present their identity to access the scheme, it stipulates that they must obtain a smart card in its portal Seva Sindhu after three months.
But the process has been delayed due to technical limitations and operational problems. Women will get smart cards which will serve as identity documents.
vehicle force
Currently, TSRTC has 9,233 buses, which include City Ordinary, Metro Express, Metro Deluxe, Palle Velugu, Express, Deluxe, Super Luxury and Luxury, Rajdhani, non-air conditioning coaches and Garuda Plus. The fleet covers a distance of 32 lakh kilometers daily on 3,328 routes and carries approximately 45 lakh passengers across Telangana and the border states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh. In 2023, around 50,000 people, including those on contract, are working with TSRTC. The corporation has a daily collection of more than Rs 13 crore.
