AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao on Wednesday allayed the fears of the employees saying that not a single job would be affected due to the decision to operate hired buses.
Referring to the reports appearing in a section of the media on the issue, he said they were ‘misleading. The policy of the APSRTC operating hired buses existed since 1979, as it helped the Corporation reduce expenditure and avoid shifting additional financial burden on the commuters. Under this system, the vehicle maintenance and the drivers’ salaries were the responsibility of the bus owner while the RTC decided the routes and timing of the operations.
He said the objective of replacing old buses with new ones was to provide comfort to passengers. After the merger of the RTC with the government, the Corporation had cleared debts to the tune of ₹1,685 crore. In 2021-22, the Corporation had incurred a loss of ₹30 per kilometre on its own buses against ₹12 on hired buses, he said.
Of the total 998 buses proposed to be hired, 920 would be operated as Palle Velugu, Express, Deluxe, Super Luxury and City buses, 62 non-AC sleeper buses and 16 A/C buses.
