Grappling with losses Premium

TSRTC continues to grapple with ‘crushing’ losses due to high diesel costs. For FY 2021-22, the losses stood at ₹2,143 crore.

Official data shows that there has been an improvement in key performance indicators. But, despite sustained efforts to improve crew efficiency and mileage, among others, the corporation continues to battle an uphill task.

Occupancy saw an uptick from 54.42% in March 2020-2021 to 63.90% this year. The earnings per bus per day too, saw a marked improvement over the same period.

“In spite of improvements in performance parameters, diesel costs and expenses connected to staff continue to weigh us down. We are still dealing with the after-effects of lockdown, and paying a high price per litre for diesel. To soften the blow, we had to resort to tying up with retailers to buy diesel. We are doing our best to attain pre-lockdown occupancy ratio,” said a source who did not wish to be identified.

Efforts to monetise TSRTC’s properties like bus stations seem to be put on hold for the time being. However, a consultant was hired with the mandate to conduct a survey in urban and rural areas to understand the situation.