Guntur: State government mulls free travel in APSRTC buses for women

Guntur : The State government began an exercise to introduce free bus travel facility to women in the APSRTC Express bus services and Palle Velugu bus services on the lines of Karnataka and T-States. The government is studying how Karnataka and TS governments are implementing the scheme.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is likely to announce free bus travel in the APSRTC bus services to women as a Sankranti gift, it is learnt. Congress party has announced prior to the polls in Karnataka and Telangana that it would provide free bus facility to women and began implementing the welfare scheme immediately after coming to power in both the States.

Opposition TDP in AP has promised to provide free bus travel facility to women in the State if the party returns to power. Following the announcement by the opposition party, the YSRCP government began an exercise to implement the free bus service facility well in advance and prior to the next elections. The State government asked the APSRTC to submit a detailed report on the scheme.

According to official sources, free bus travel for women in APSRTC buses will impose an additional burden of Rs 1400 crore on the State government.

Sources in the APSRTC informed that the State government is of the view that if women travel free of cost in the buses, their family members will also travel in the buses and as a result they will get some revenue. The APSRTC official sources informed that at present the APSRTC is operating the Express buses and Palle Velugu services up to a distance of 150 kilometres.

The State government is paying Rs 300 crore per month as salaries to the APSRTC staff after the road transport corporation was merged with the government. At present about 40 lakh passengers are travelling in the APSRTC buses per day in the State, out of which 15 lakh passengers are women. APSRTC is earning revenue of Rs 17 crore per day.

If the free bus travel for women scheme is implemented, it is estimated that the APSRTC will lose Rs four crore revenue per day.