The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has further dented the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation’s (APSRTC) already fragile finances.
In an effort to find new ways to generate revenue and keep the public sector transport giant afloat, the Corporation is approaching various departments in the government sector offering its services for their transport needs.
The APSRTC has approached departments like Civil Supplies and Beverages Corporation. “For instance, we have asked the Civil Supplies Department to use our transport facility for end-to-end service. We will transport rice from the rice mill to the FCI warehouses and from there to the mandal level stock (MLS) points and further to the village-level stock points,” Transport Minister Perni Venkataramaiah explained.
Speaking to The Hindu , the Minister said that the departments hiring APSRTC’s services could pay 1 paise less per km than what they are paying to private operators.
Focus on cargo
Cargo sector is yet another focus area. “We really want to strengthen the cargo sector,” the Minister said. The APSRTC has already modified some buses to transport cargo and it also proposes to hire lorries at its bus depots to expand the cargo sector. “If the Chief Minister agrees, we want to introduce closed body goods trucks, the ones used by the Transport Corporation of India for freight services,” said Mr. Venkataramaiah, adding that the whole exercise was aimed at generating revenue and avoiding bus fare hike post COVID-19.
Physical distancing
The pandemic has changed all spheres of life and public transport is no exception. To cater to the physical distance protocol, the APSRTC has designed and sent for the Chief Minister’s approval the blueprint of a prototype of a 26-seater bus. “We are waiting for the Chief Minister’s nod to press into service these newly-designed super luxury buses in which the seating capacity has been reduced to 26 from 36 with a passenger occupancy ratio of about 70%. This will enable physical distance while travelling,” said the Minister.
Minister refutes reports
The Minister said reports that the APSRTC had removed outsourced/contract staff were not true. He said the Corporation had decided to first utilise the services of regular employees who were covered under insurance policy. “In the wake of the prevailing pandemic, we do not want the outsourced workers to get exposed to any health threat since they do not have any health insurance. Nobody has been removed from the service,” he said.
