As the day temperatures are increasing, APSRTC is planning to offer cool rides to the city residents by extending its fleet of air-conditioned buses. Currently, it plies 8 AC buses in the city which it plans to increase to 42 by May ending.
The 8 AC services ply in Secunderabad-Hi-Tec City and Dilsukhnagar-Hi-Tec City routes. The new buses will be run in areas where there is more demand, like the Madhapur area where the IT sector is more concentrated.
RTC officials profess that the AC service is a great success as the occupancy ratio of this service, which used to be below the 50 per cent mark, has suddenly increased to 70 per cent. The normal revenue per AC service had also increased from Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,200.
The minimum fare in the AC service is Rs 15 but city commuters feel that it is very less price when compared with the safety and comfort in AC service.
Apart from running extra AC buses, the corporation is also planning to obtain nearly 300 semi low floor non AC buses, under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) scheme for urban transport. The additional services will ply on 10 long lines from one end of the city to another.
Most of the services will be routed to Hitec city area from different parts of the city, helping employees of different organizations who work at Madhapur, Gachibowli, Hitec-City areas, who are the major commuters for the AC service. (Source: The Times Of India)
Suggested reading:
Hyderabad Map – The Best Maps of Hyderabad City!