Hyderabad: The newly-introduced Night Rider buses by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) are seeing regular occupancy despite their irregular timings in schedule, said senior officials from the corporation.
Speaking to Siasat.com, a senior TSRTC official said that irregularity in the Night Rider buses is due to the unpredictable timings of local trains and buses reaching Secunderabad station. “The bus service was mainly intended to cater for those who reach the city via train or inter-city buses in the night. But sometimes, trains expected to reach the station at 11 pm might reach at midnight.”
The TSRTC official said that when the inter-city buses and trains are late, the bus will wait at the station for the arriving train before departing, causing a delay in its schedule. “Buses on other routes do not have this problem. However, some routes see low occupancy, others do not.”
The Night Rider buses, recently started by the TSRTC, operate from 11pm to 4am. From Secunderabad, buses arrive and depart all throughout the night, connecting Dilsukhnagar, LB Nagar, Charminar, Afzalgunj, Chandrayangutta and Patancheru. Round the clock buses from Secunderabad to Kondapur, Borabanda and Manikonda will be started soon, the TSRTC official added.
Other TSRTC buses that will be operational during the late hours run from Hayatnagar and Ibrahimpatnam to JBS and back, Kachiguda to Lingampally, LB nagar to Secunderabad and Patancheru, Lingampally to Koti and Patancheru to LB Nagar, informed the official.
He also added that the TSRTC is back to its normal occupancy as compared to during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they faced a severe shortage in passengers and profit.
The recent diesel cess has not really made an impact, said the TSRTC official. “Diesel rates are increasing and the public understands this. Previously, there used to be protests from the public when prices were hiked, but this time they understand that this is not a price hike, this is a cess.”
He said that though prices of TSRTC tickets and bus passes have increased, bus occupancy has not been significantly affected. “We are still witnessing the normal amount of daily passengers,” he said.
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