Private vehicles eat into RTC coffers

Hyderabad: Indiscriminate operation of private vehicles as stage carriers seems to have caused a huge dent in the coffers of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC). The corporation is understood to be incurring huge losses due to privately-run Toofan vehicles that ply as stage carriers from L B Nagar to Vijayawada.

Already bogged down with a burden up to Rs 94 crore approximately every year, the TSRTC sees a drop of Rs 75 lakh on each bus it runs in the route along which the Toofan vehicles are being operated.

Due to the unavailability of sufficient number of State-run buses even during special occasions like the recently-concluded marriage season, passengers are left with no option but to pay twice the normal charges to the Toofan operators. Despite modest pricing, passengers prefer to travel by Toofan vehicles considering that they take lesser time than the State-run buses and do not halt at frequent intervals.

A source, on condition of anonymity, told The Hans India that even the traffic police had their ‘share of profit’ from the Toofan owners as they permitted them to park at spots which were primarily meant for the RTC buses. Instead of driving away the parked Toofan vehicles, they allegedly force the State buses to move quickly citing reasons of traffic congestions.

In a hurry to escape being pestered by the police and avoid blaring horns from long queues of motorists, RTC drivers leave behind passengers who have still no clue about the bus’s whereabouts.

Apart from monetary loss, travelling by Toofan cars also pose a threat to the lives of passengers. One of the Toofan car owner’s helpers said often the vehicles were loaded above their capacity to rake in profits.

A 11-seater Toofan car accommodates up to 14 passengers every day, cramming them into one another. Staying jam-packed in the car causes suffocation and if one of the passengers is unwell, there are chances that even others could contract the same disease given that they are seated in ‘closest’ proximity. Moreover, in the context of reaching the destination on time, Toofan vehicles are driven at breakneck speed on highways, increasing the potential risk of accidents.

Even though over-speeding by private vehicles claimed several lives in the past few months, passengers still do not hesitate to travel by them. “I was supposed to travel to Vijayawada at 6 pm but even after waiting for four hours, there is no sign of the RTC bus. In such condition, why shouldn’t I opt to travel by the Toofan taxi which would not make me suffer so much?

Moreover, many buses here do not have the reservation facility because of which they get filled on ‘first come first serve’ basis and when there is no efficient public information system, how do they expect us to board the bus at the right time and the right spot?” questions Shastry, a passenger.