Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Garuda bus service for Chennai

Staff Reporter

The 15-hour journey is shorter than by train, says official

VISAKHAPATNAM: The AP State Road Transport Corporation, Visakhapatnam Region, on Thursday launched its first inter-State Garuda service for Chennai.

The bus leaves here at 4.30 p.m. reaching Chennai in 15 hours. In the return direction, it leaves Chennai at 7.30 p.m. reaching Visakhapatnam at 10.30 a.m.

C. Damodar Dass, RTC Executive Director for Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada inaugurated the service.

En route, it halts at Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Guntur, Ongole, Nellore and Naidupeta.

Online "anywhere-to-anywhere'' ticket-booking facility is available at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Tirupathi and Chennai. RTC Visakhapatnam Regional Manager D. Satyanarayana, and Tamil Kalai Manram president R. Sampath were present.

Mr. Dass earlier told reporters that the 15-hour journey by the Garuda service was one-and-a-half hours less than that by train.

By its convenient timings, it also would save two days of time, he said. The service was launched based on inputs of a survey at Koyambedu bus station and Madras Central railway station, Mr. Dass said. Plans to launch the service to Bangalore were on the anvil, he said.

The launching of the service to Chennai takes the total number of Garuda buses to 11. The other services are being plied to Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Tirupati.

New services

Answering questions, he said the fare by private operators changed depending upon demand while RTC fare remained the same.

Mr. Satyanarayana said several services would be upgraded from luxury to hi-tech following demand from passengers. Among them are two buses each to Hyderabad and Bhadrachalam, one each from here to Srikakulam and back.

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