Nizamabad: Festive boost to RTC

Nizamabad: Dussehra festivities have turned a boon to the TSRTC Nizamabad region. The number of commuters from distant places to their hometowns has increased on account of the Vijaya Dasami. Accordingly, keeping in view the festive rush, the TSRTC Regional Manager, N Sudha Parimala, has increased its services. She said: 'On the occasion of Dasara festival, 372 special buses have been planned to clear the extra rush from JBS to various destinations of Nizamabad region."

With this, TSRTC is hoping to garner an average daily revenue of Rs 85 lakh in Nizamabad district. With the increase in traffic turnover on Tuesday, the daily revenue was close to Rs 1 crore. Parimala estimates that the daily income is likely to cross Rs 1 crore on Wednesday.

There are a total of six TSRTC depots in the district. During the festival, bus services have been increased from 6 depots in Nizamabad region to Hyderabad, neighboring Warangal, Karimnagar, Adilabad and Medak districts for the convenience of passengers.

Buses are also being run to rural areas in the Nizamabad region in the same order. As many as 170 special bus services were operated from Secunderabad JBS to Armor, Bodhan, Nizamabad, Banuswada and Kamareddy till Tuesday night.

The authorities are also taking steps to generate more revenue by running additional services to areas where there is demand. During the festival, RTC specially increased its services to 372 bus services from six depots in Nizamabad region to JBS Secunderabad. The RTC had scheduled an additional 22 bus services on Wednesday night to cope with the traffic congestion.

After reeling under the Covid pandemic impact, TSRTC has started making some revenue, even though there is not much passenger rush now as compared to the past.

The strike by RTC workers in 2019 reduced the organisation's Dussehra revenue. The corporation has been on a loss-making path following the imposition of a lockdown due to the Covid outbreak. The Covid protocols brought bring the daily income to less than Rs 35 lakh as the occupancy ratio declined as a result. The traffic has also declined as those who returned to their hometowns during the Covid lockdown are yet to leave for their places of work.