Hyderabad, Sept.10 (RAHNUMA): Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Thursday described the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) as the “lifeline of the people of Telangana” and said the government was taking several measures to strengthen the organisation and improve passenger services.
Responding to MLAs’ questions in the Legislative Assembly, Prabhakar said RTC buses travel nearly 30 lakh kilometers every day and ferry around 65 lakh passengers. He alleged that the previous government neglected the RTC for a decade, failed to procure new buses and weakened its management.
The Minister said the Mahalakshmi scheme, launched soon after the Congress government assumed office on December 7, 2023, had significantly increased bus occupancy and passenger footfall. So far, 347.47 crore women had availed free bus travel, resulting in savings of Rs.12,171 crore, he said.
Further, Prabhakar said the government was introducing new services based on public demand, restoring services suspended during the COVID-19 period and addressing constituency-wise requirements raised by MLAs and MLCs. RTC was gradually moving from operational losses towards profitability. The government had so far procured 2,932 new buses, while steps were being taken to phase out buses which are more than 15 years old, he added.
The Minister added that 340 diesel buses had been retrofitted into electric buses, while another 2,200 electric buses were being introduced in Hyderabad under the PM E-Drive scheme. CCTV cameras have also been installed in electric and premium-category buses, with passenger safety being accorded top priority.
Prabhakar praised RTC drivers and conductors for their role in safely transporting millions of passengers every day.
