Fare hike inevitable, says Sajjanar

Hyderabad: The TSRTC would never like to burden its commuters. But, fare hike has become unavoidable due to steady increase in diesel prices, spare parts and overall cost of operations, said Corporation MD VC Sajjanar.

According to a media release, the management does not want to impose a burden on commuters and at the same time, neither can it take the burden. So, the fare hike was the only way out.

As a state-owned corporation, RTC on an average serves about 37 lakh passengers each day and many a time, the number has reached 1 crore a day.

"Even after getting nod for the proposed hike of 25 paisa and 30 paisa on Ordinary and Express services, respectively, from the government, we still happen to be the cheapest mode of transportation in India. The last fare revision was affected in December 2019, but it didn't help it much because of the complete lockdown in March 2020. Then came the jolt around in April when a second lockdown was imposed. Since then, many developments have taken place. The TSRTC could not be functional to its fullest capacity," said VC Sajjanar.

He further stated that diesel prices have gone up from 27.5 per cent to 34 per cent since the last fare hike and each day, buses require at least 6.80 lakh litres of diesel. There was a huge loss of revenue to the Corporation during Covid-induced lockdowns. Amid rising diesel prices and losses, almost all road transport corporations in India have increased their fares.

"TSRTC would never like to burden its commuters. But, given the current situation, the fare hike is unavoidable. We request the passengers to cooperate with us for the welfare of the decades-old corporation which is considered as a 'lifeline' to many," added Sajjanar.