: In what was termed a novel initiative, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation has announced introduction of mini-buses to transport people from their doorsteps in Warangal and Nizamabad to the State capital and back.
On Friday, Transport Minister P. Mahender Reddy inspected new mini-buses that the corporation has ordered from automobile major Mahindra. TSRTC plans to acquire 100 21-seater, air-conditioned T-32 BS IV mini-buses with body built by the Mumbai-based MG Group and a 136 more non-a/c versions, he said. The total order for 236 buses would cost about Rs. 40 crore.
The passengers would have comfortable luxury push-back seats, mobile phone charging ports, air suspension system for a comfortable journey, a liquid crystal display television with a high-class audio output, drinking water bottles and dispensable seat covers. “In short, the service would be much like a budget airline,” the Minister said.
The corporation was in the process of buying 1,400 buses at a cost of Rs. 350 crore, including a 100 air-conditioned buses. “We have found that long-distance services are more profitable more than the short-distance ones, especially the urban services. And we are taking care to see that the new lot of buses are introduced on such sectors, like connecting all the new 32 district headquarter towns with the State capital, apart from taking into consideration, other destinations like Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Mumbai,” he added.
By around the third week of November, the ‘Vajra’ services will be introduced, linking Warangal and Nizamabad with Hyderabad at a fare of Rs. 300 and Rs. 350, respectively, corporation Chairman Somarapu Satyanarayana said. The constant endeavour to reduce losses by increasing profitability would get a shot in the arm if the TSRTC could step up its turnover by about 25 per cent in a financial year, he said, adding that it was uppermost in the minds of the management.
Tracing the background of the proposal for doorstep service, TSRTC Managing Director G.V. Ramana Rao said it came from a suggestion from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao that the corporation could think of taking its services to the doorsteps of the people.
