Tirupati: RTC to extend OPRS facility to small towns, other districts

Tirupati: In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the RTC is taking up in a big way the online booking of tickets to ensure more cashless transactions. This was part of the series of safety measures being taken up by the APSRTC to check the spread of the dreaded Covid-19.

The APSRTC which suspended its bus services following the nationwide lockdown on March 22, had resumed its bus services after two months on May 21 in the state after the Central and state governments relaxed the lockdown restrictions.

Hitherto, there was no online booking facility for the bus services to the towns in Chittoor district as the online passenger reservation system (OPRS) is limited to long distance bus services to various cities in the state and also in neighbouring states- Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

But now RTC extended the OPRS to various towns in Chittoor district and also to the towns in neighbouring districts of Kadapa and Nellore proving very convenient to passengers and also helping RTC to encourage cashless transactions.

As many as 156 bus services were added to OPRS after Covid-19 turned into a pandemic.

This include 81 bus services in Chittoor district including Madanapalli (22), Kuppam (11) and Chittoor 48 and 75 bus service to other districts including Kadapa (29), Rayachoti (11), Rajampeta (7) and Nellore 28.

A Senior RTC official said 214 bus services were under OPRS facility before Covid-19 which has now risen to 370.

The RTC is planning to extend OPRS to more towns in the district and also in other districts.