Telangana State Road Transport Corporation

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తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర రోడ్డు రవాణా సంస్థ
Telangana State Road Transport Corporation
Ministry of Transport, Government of Telangana
SubsidiariesTSRTC Logistic Services, TSRTC College of Nursing, Ziva (Packaged Drinking Water)
Websitewww.tsrtc.telangana.gov.in

Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (abbreviated as TSRTC) is a state-owned corporation that runs bus transport services to and from the Indian state of

TSRTC. It serves about 6 million passengers every day, having three zones and services operating through 99 depots.[3]

History

Road transport corporation in Telangana State was first established as NSRRTD (Nizam State Rail & Road Transport Department), a wing of Nizam State Railway in the erstwhile Hyderabad State, in 1932, with 27 buses and 166 employees. Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) was established on 11 January 1958 in pursuance of the Road Transport Corporations Act 1950. Consequent upon bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh state into Telangana and residual Andhra Pradesh, TSRTC operated as a separate entity from 03.06.2015. The Government of Telangana has subsequently established Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), on 27.03.2016, under the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950. The Telangana government, on Monday, July 31, 2023 decided to merge Telangana State Road Transport Corporation with the government.[4]

Divisions

TSRTC has three zones: Hyderabad Rural (HR), Greater Hyderabad (GHz), and Karimnagar (KRMR). It is further subdivided into 11 regions and 25 divisions. It has a fleet of 9,232 buses,[5] of which around 2,822 are hired vehicles. TSRTC buses undertake operations on 36,593 routes.

Types of services

TSRTC operates a number of different kinds of services, both for urban transport as well as intercity and village transport.

Premium services

Air-conditioned buses are branded as "Vajra", "Garuda Plus", "Garuda" and "Rajadhani" (previously known as Indra), "Lahari" (A/c Sleeper).

  • Vajra/Cyberliner

TSRTC started its new service named Vajra with tag line 'Mobility Redefined' and 'Service At Doorstep'. These are the Mahindra's COSMO 3.3 Liter BS-IV AC Buses. The goal of Vajra was to reduce the hassle of commuters having to travel to a bus station in Hyderabad in order to board an intercity service. Vajra bridged that gap by providing intercity services from various colonies in Hyderabad to Warangal, Nizamabad, Godavarikhani and Karimnagar city.[6] Few buses are renamed as 'Cyberliner', for the IT employees in the Hyderabad.

  • Garuda Plus
Garuda Plus(Scania)

TSRTC operates multi-axle buses of Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Scania branded as Garuda Plus buses. Designed for superior ride quality, these buses have reclining seats, while a few older buses also have calf rests. There are two/three LED TVs in each coach with pre-loaded movies depending on the make. As in Vennela, passengers are given a 500ml water bottle, a blanket and a packet of facial wipes. TSRTC operates Garuda plus buses on intercity and interstate routes between urban centers such as Khammam-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Adilabad, Hyderabad-Karimnagar, Hyderabad-Mumbai, Hyderabad-Vijayawada, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Nizamabad-Bengaluru, Nizamabad-Tirupati,[7] Warangal-Bengaluru, Godavarikhani-Bengaluru, Karimnagar-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Pune, Hyderabad-Chennai, Hyderabad-Nagpur, Hyderabad-Bhadrachalam, Hyderabad-Kakinada.

  • Garuda & E- Garuda
E-Garuda

TSRTC operates bi-axle buses of Volvo and Isuzu make branded as Garuda. There have been no additions to the fleet since 2009 apart from a few Vennela which were downgraded as Garuda. This class of service is being phased out. Designed for superior ride quality, these buses have reclining seats. As in Vennela, passengers are given a 500ml water bottle, a blanket and a packet of facial wipes. Some popular Garuda routes are Hyderabad-Warangal and Karimnagar, Vijayawada.

TSRTC launched 10 Electric Intercity AC buses built by Olectra (CX2 model) which are branded as 'E-Garuda' on 16 May 2023. As of now these buses will ply between Hyderabad and Vijayawada.[8]

  • Rajadhani
Rajadhani A/c

TSRTC operates AC buses built on Ashok Leyland's 12M Viking chassis and Volvo 8400 City Buses branded as ''Rajadhani''. Introduced in 2011, these buses were earlier branded as Indra. Rajadhani buses act as a bridge between mid-level service "Super Luxury" and premium service "Garuda Plus". These buses are generally operated to state capital Hyderabad from various district headquarters. These are also operated on high-frequency long-distance routes. Only water bottles are provided in these buses.

  • Lahari Sleeper
AC Sleeper

For the first time in the State, the TSRTC has introduced sleeper buses(both A/c[9] and Non-A/c[10]) into its fleet for the convenience of passengers travelling long distances. These buses ,which are AC sleeper are built on Ashok Leyland chasis and Non-A/c Sleeper cum seater are built on Eicher chasis. These buses have been named ‘Lahari’, which have been made available for the first time in the State, as an alternative to the services of private operators.

Mid-level services

Super Luxury Non A/c

Mid-level services are branded "Super Luxury", "Deluxe" and "Express".

  • Super Luxury

These are non-air conditioned 2+2 push back services which are run from major cities. These are video coaches in which various movies are played. Most of the buses are of Ashok Leyland, Tata, Eicher etc. Recently Tsrtc, has started inducting its own BS6 stage buses into its fleet. The first batch of BS6 Super luxury buses built on Ashok Leyland chasis was inaugurated in the capital city of Telangana.[11]

  • Deluxe Service
    Deluxe

These are non-air conditioned 2+2 services which are run as intercity services. The color of a Deluxe bus is violet. Most of the buses are of Ashok Leyland, Tata, Eicher, etc.

  • Express and Semi Express

These are non-air conditioned 3+2 services which are run as intercity services. The color of an Express bus is light blue and dark blue. Most of the buses are of Ashok Leyland, Tata, and Eicher.

TSRTC runs city route buses in urban areas like

Mahabubnagar, Siddipet, Godavarikhani and Khammam
.

Entry Level Service
Palle Velugu

Entry-level services

Metro Express

Entry-level ordinary service is branded as "Palle Velugu" and "Mini-Pallevelugu". These buses constitute the majority of TSRTC's fleet, and are used to provide connectivity to villages and small towns. Palle Velugu are typically used on short routes connecting villages and small towns to larger towns.

Hyd City Metro Luxury A/C

Urban services

City buses in Hyderabad and Warangal are also branded in a similar fashion. Air-conditioned city buses are branded "Metro Luxury". The city buses to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) are branded "Pushpak(Airport Liner)". Mid-level city services are branded "Metro Deluxe" and "Metro Express" whereas the entry-level "Ordinary" buses are not given any name but are commonly referred to as a "City Bus". These service categories should not be confused with local arrangements like "Merupu", "Trisul" and "Ramabanam".

Special Hire Services

TSRTC also provides buses for special hire to individuals and organisations for any purpose such as tours, pilgrimage, marriage transport, excursions etc.[12] All kinds of buses are available for Special Hire, each with their own tariff rate.[13]

Pushpak Airport Liner (Electric Bus)

Electric Buses

TSRTC inaugurated 40 Electric buses

Olectra BYD eBuzz K9
' buses which connects the Hyderabad International Airport from different locations in the city.

Hyderabad Pushpak Airport Liner bus routes

The following is a list of the airport bus routes operated by TSRTC in Hyderabad.

Route

number

Origin Destination
AJ Route RGIA JNTU college
AB Route BHEL
AL Route LB Nagar
AC Route JBS (via Care hospital)
AM Route JBS (via Secretariat)

Cargo Services

Cargo & Parcel Service

In June 2020, TSRTC launched its Cargo Services in State.[15] These cargo vehicles were refabricated from older, retired passenger buses, and were launched with the goal of transporting governmental goods such as books, departmental materials, question papers and answer sheets for educational institutions and other goods being supplied by the government. Each depot has been supplied with 2 cargo vehicles, and are available for hire by private parties as well.

During the COVID-19 crisis, TSRTC cargo vehicles were used extensively to transport pharmaceuticals and medicinal supplies, as well as farm goods, groceries, and other logistics for the government.[16]

Initiatives

  • TSRTC has converted few scrapped buses into Bio Mobile Toilets which are equipped with an exclusive unit for transgender, two units for women and one unit for men. The mobile toilets will be into service at places that experience high footfall and places where gatherings are held in the state.
  • TSRTC has recently launched the 'Pushpak Airport' bus 'live tracking' app for the City Airport buses, where users can view route maps, live track buses, bus number and travel duration and can also access the live location of the bus using the “View on Map” option in the app.
  • TSRTC established its own Nursing college,i.e., TSRTC College of Nursing, to meet the needs of the Hospital which will be now allow out patients other than TSRTC employees and the classes of nursing will be starting from the academic year(2022–23) in the TSRTC Hospital in Tarnaka.[17]
  • QR Code based UPI payments implemented at OPRS Counters,Cargo Counters in MGBS & JBS and All Bus pass Counters in Twin Cities in 2021.[18]

Awards and achievements

  • 2nd best STU at National Level in KMPL improvement during the period from October 2019 to September 2020[19]
  • TSRTC has been adjudged as “WINNER” in the category “(4) Initiatives taken for adoption of Fossil Fuel/EV vehicles /Alternative Fuel in public transport” for introduction of “Electric Vehicles”[20]
  • Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation has presented Golden and Silver awards for the year 2019-20 on improvement in fuel efficiency[21]
  • Highest KMPL fuel efficiency for the year 2014-15[22][23]
  • Award for Excellence 2016 - Best Bus Transportation[24][25]

Accidents and incidents

  • On 11 September 2018 India's worst bus tragedy took place in Telangana when a bus belonging to Jagtial depot was jam-packed with 88 passengers swerved off a ghat road and hurtled 30 feet down onto a valley at Sanivarampet killing 56 people and injuring 32 on board. The mishap occurred when bus driver Srinivas lost control over the wheel near Sanivarampet. Srinivas reportedly failed to slow down the vehicle as he failed to see a speed-breaker. When the bus hit the bump at high speed, Srinivas lost control over the wheel, resulting in the mishap. The vehicle rolled four times before falling onto the valley.[26]

Protest

48000 employees stayed off work for a period of 52 days starting 5 October 2019, protesting against hostile working environments, arbitrary pay cuts and loan denials, unsanitary workplaces, long working hours, as well as asking for a merger of the corporation into the state government.[27]

The transport strike was met with solidarity from other unions such as the Teacher's Union, Employees Union, TNGO, TS TRANSCO etc.[28]

The strike was met with brutal suppression from the state government and Telangana Police, who fired non lethal rounds into crowds of protestors, as well as taking a large number of them into custody.[29]

Unable to continue amid the brutal suppression, the workers were finally forced into calling off the strike on 25 November.[30]

References

  1. ^ Mohammed, Syed (24 August 2021). "TSRTC rakes in a per day revenue of ₹13.04 crore". The Hindu.
  2. ^ Krishnamoorthy, Suresh (16 May 2014). "It will be TGSRTC from June 2". The Hindu. Hyderabad. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  3. ^ "TSRTC Profile". www.tsrtc.telangana.gov.in. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  4. ^ Today, Telangana (31 July 2023). "Telangana Cabinet decides to merge TSRTC with Government". Telangana Today. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  5. ^ "TSRTC". www.tsrtc.telangana.gov.in. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Telangana State Road Transport Corporation" (PDF). tsrtc.telangana.gov.in. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  7. ^ "బస్ టికెట్‌తో పాటు దర్శనం టికెట్.. టీఎస్ఆర్టీసీ కొత్త పథకం". teluguglobal.in.
  8. ^ Today, Telangana (15 May 2023). "RTC electric AC buses 'E-Garuda' set to be launched in Hyderabad on Tuesday". Telangana Today. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  9. ISSN 0971-8257
    . Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  10. ^ India, The Hans (5 January 2023). "TSRTC flags off 10 non-AC sleeper buses". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  11. ^ Today, Telangana (23 December 2022). "TSRTC's new super luxury buses equipped with smart features". Telangana Today. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "Fleet of 40 electric buses hits Hyderabad roads". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  15. ^ "TSRTC launches cargo services". The Hindu. 19 June 2020.
  16. ^ @drusawasthi (17 May 2020). "In #Telangana the #IFFCO field team..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Today, Telangana (18 March 2022). "TSRTC to establish Nursing college in Tarnaka". Telangana Today. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  18. ^ News Desk (26 October 2021). "TSRTC's UPI payment service now available at Jubilee bus stand". The Siasat Daily. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  19. ^ "National-level award for TSRTC". Telangana Today. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  20. ^ "TSRTC". www.tsrtc.telangana.gov.in. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  21. ^ "TSRTC". www.tsrtc.telangana.gov.in. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  22. ^ TSRTC bags mileage award
  23. ^ TSRTC bags two major awards
  24. ^ TSRTC gets award for excellence
  25. ^ TSRTC bags award for the second time
  26. ^ "57 dead, 32 hurt in India's worst bus tragedy in Telangana - Times of India ►". The Times of India. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Explainer: Why 4 RTC employees have died and 48,000 are on strike in Telangana". The News Minute. 30 October 2019.
  28. ^ "Bouyed by TNGO support TSRTC-JAC to intensify strike". The Hindu. 15 October 2019.
  29. ^ "TSRTC strike: Police take agitators into custody in Telangana | City - Times of India Videos". The Times of India.
  30. ^ "Telangana transport employees' strike called off after 52 days". 25 November 2019.

External links