RTC to start cargo services to offset loss-making routes

Hyderabad: RTC buses running on loss-making routes will be modified as goods transport vehicles. According to officials, exercise is on to remove the seats in about 1,200 old buses and use them as cargo buses.

These cargo services will be used mainly for transportation of vegetables, fruits, grocery and will be linked to godowns so that there would be guarantee of revenue earning for the cargo buses.

At present, cargo services of the TSRTC are being handled by a private parcel service Siddhartha Traders. Earlier they used by operated by ANL parcel services.

The revenues of the corporation were good during the un-divided Andhra Pradesh but with the bifurcation, the revenues came down gradually since there were no major towns in Telangana after Hyderabad whereas the AP had bigger towns like Kakinada, Kurnool, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

Sources said that the officials would be using the Vajra buses also for cargo services. The air-conditioned Vajra buses were brought out on the advice of the chief minister to start 'service at your doorstep'.

However, the services failed to attract the passengers and these buses were kept aside. The officials had then procured 58 buses. Now these buses would be utilised for cargo services.

People can now book the buses for transferring their goods to or from these godowns by booking at their nearest depots, said a senior official.

The TSRTC is also creating a separate wing in the Corporation to run the cargo services. The officials are in the process of finalising the modalities.