The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) will ply 4,500 special buses from September 26 to October 9 to cater to the transport needs of the additional festival crowd.
The good news is that the corporation has decided not to impost 50% extra fares on these special buses this time. “Dasara being one one of the main festivals, we expect large-scale influx of people from Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai besides mass transit within the State during the festival days. We will run these special buses on regular fares without charging any extra money to ensure that people do not face any inconvenience,” said Corporation Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, at a press conference on Thursday.
Besides inter-State services, the special buses would be plied in 21 cities in the State, including Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Bhimavaram, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Amalapuram, Bhadrachalam, Rajamahendravaram, Tuni, Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, Tirupati, Markapuram, Ongole and Nellore.
Mr. Rao said in view of Dasara holidays to educational institutions and offices, a large number of people within the State were expected to travel homeward. To cater to their transport needs, 419 buses would be operated towards Vijayawada from different districts in the State.
The new Unified Ticketing System, he said, was a single stop solution for all services offered by the APSRTC and would facilitate a hassle-free travel experience for the passengers.
Mr. Rao said people could book tickets in these special buses 60 days in advance either through agents, APSRTC app or online mode. To ensure a smooth ride for the patrons, the corporation had deployed department officials, supervisors and security staff at many points across Hyderabad, he added.
