TSRTC burdening passengers with hike in luggage charges

The passengers were allowed to carry 50 kg luggage free; another 50 kg was charged. The 50-kg free luggage was to be carried in three packets. The rule was that each packet should not exceed 20 kg. For the remaining 50 kg, RTC used to collect charges as per the luggage fare. There was no limit

Hyderabad: Passengers travelling with luggage in the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation buses have to shell out more money, as it revised the luggage charges on a par with the cargo services. The charges were increased over 20 times.

So far, the passengers were allowed to carry 50 kg luggage free and another 50 kg was charged. The 50-kg free luggage was to be carried in three packets. The rule was that each packet should not exceed 20 kg. For the remaining 50 kg, the RTC used to collect charges as per the luggage fare. There was no limit.

The corporation has sent circulars to the regional managers, divisional managers and depot managers asking them to take necessary action to implement the instructions from July 22.

The Palle Velugu buses used to charge Rs 1 on 50 kg luggage for a distance of 0-25 km. It has been increased to Rs 20. For a distance of 26 km-50 km, the charge on 50 kg luggage has been hiked to Rs 40, which was earlier Rs 2; for 125 and above km it was Rs 6, which has been revised to Rs 90. In Express buses up to 0-50 km distance, RTC used to charge only Rs 2 on 50 kg luggage. Now it has reached Rs.50.

Thousands of farmers and small traders carry harvest, flowers, vegetables and fruits on village buses in the morning. All these years (for a distance of 25 km) in the Palle Velugu bus, the luggage ticket cost Rs 1 for 50 kg. Now it has been increased to Rs 20. This will be a huge burden for farmers.

In view of the increased cost of fuel, RTC recently levied a diesel cess which increased the cost of bus tickets. And now in a bid to further increase its revenue, the RTC has set the limits for passenger luggage and also increased the fares on a par with the bus cargo/parcel services. The State RTC has a dedicated cargo service for transporting goods. But many people are ferrying items on passenger buses to avoid cargo charges. As these charges are nominal, some amount is given to drivers/conductors to transport the cargo which is leading to heavy losses to the corporation which is already reeling under losses. RTC officials stated that the passenger luggage charges were hiked to avoid this loss.

The maximum luggage is limited to 750 kg in Palle Velugu, Express, Deluxe buses and 1,000 kg for Super luxury buses. The charges for luggage are based on the distance travelled and also the type of bus which includes city buses and those plying in the mofussil areas.