TSRTC suspends discount tickets for senior citizens

Hyderabad: Due to the higher influx of passengers resulting from the Mahalakshmi scheme, a free bus service for women, slowly the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has been scrapping the other bus schemes. Recently, the corporation has withdrawn family-24 and T-6 tickets in the Greater Hyderabad region, and now the TSRTC has withdrawn the T-9 ticket which was introduced for senior citizens.

Last year, the corporation introduced the scheme for convenience and budget-friendly for senior citizens and women, these tickets are valid from 9 am to 4 pm. However, the women are travelling in buses for free under the Mahalakshmi scheme, whereas, the senior citizens who were using the budget-friendly scheme ticket sparks a row.

The senior citizens on Wednesday were shocked as the bus conductor was not issuing the ticket which was launched for the senior citizens. “The State government has introduced the free bus service scheme for women, and it has been receiving a huge response, but scrapping other schemes in the name of loss and for reasons of inconvenience, is affecting the other passengers travelling in bus,” said K Srikant, a sexagenarian.

It has been witnessed that, the bus conductor refused to issue the scheme ticket to the senior citizens, and they were forced to purchase the ticket. The passengers travelling in the bus were seen shouting at the bus conductor who withdrew the ticket without any intimation. A passenger at Secunderabad said “I boarded the bus, route no 16A from Malkajgiri at 11:50 am, when I asked for the senior citizen ticket, the conductor denied issuing and asked to purchase the ticket,” said M Dayanand, a passenger.

In June, the TSRTC introduced T9 tickets for affordable and convenient travel options for senior citizens.