Visakhapatnam: 'Karthika Masam' turns out to be revenue booster for APSRTC
Passengers and APSRTC officials before boarding a special bus pressed into service for Karthika masam in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam: Catering to the swelling crowd in 'Karthika masam', Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), Visakhapatnam region, is operating special services.
At a time when the APSRTC suffered a huge loss during the coronavirus pandemic followed by the lockdowns, the special services resulted in improving the revenue after a lull.
Connecting the famous five shrines on a single day, the corporation is plying the buses to five destinations, popularly known as 'Pancharamalu,' from various depots across Visakhapatnam.
With this, Sri Amareshwara Swamy at Amaravati, Sri Someswara Swamy at Bhimavaram, Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy at Palakollu, Sri Bheemeswara Swamy at Draksharamam and Sri Kumara Ramalingeswara Swamy at Samarlakota temples will be connected as a part of the itinerary. These buses will commence their onward journey from Dwaraka bus station, Narsipatnam and Anakapalle.
Interestingly, the demand for the special services is soaring with each passing week. "In the first week, two buses were operated as a part of the Pancharamalu special services. It has been increased to 10 buses next week. Apparently, there is a large scope for the rise in demand in the coming weeks," says Kanithi Venkata Rao, Deputy Chief Traffic Manager, APSRTC, Visakhapatnam Rural.
Since there are still two weeks to go for the month to conclude, the 'Pancharamalu Darshan' service will be made available on 21st and 28th of this month.
With Srisailam temple gaining larger significance in auspicious Karthika masam, the APSRTC is operating two semi-luxury bus services to the destination on a daily basis.
Along with running special buses to the places of worship, the corporation is availing the picnic season to enhance its revenues. Every Saturday and Sunday, a bus to Lammasingi will commence from Dwaraka bus station at 3 am. The bus will cover Tajangi reservoir, Kothapalli waterfalls, Modamamba temple, and coffee plantations enroute.
Similarly, another bus to Araku Valley will be operated during weekends at 6 am from the same bus station. Dumuku and Galikonda viewpoints, Chaparai, Padmapuram Gardens and Tribal Museum will be covered as a part of the trip.After a long pause, APSRTC's cash registers are ringing louder. The corporation officials are hopeful that it is only going to intensify in the coming weeks.