The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) is operating over 4,000 special buses from Hyderabad to various destinations in both the Telugu states in view of Sankranthi festival. TSRTC Managing Director VC Sajjanar said 3,338 buses will be operated to various places in Telangana and 984 buses to Andhra Pradesh till January 14.
He said these special buses will be operated without additional charges to the passengers. The public transport body has deployed 200 officers to monitor the special services.
Sajjanar appealed to people to use these services and reach their destinations safely to celebrate the festival with families. He appealed to people to book their tickets from the official website www.tsrtconline.in.
The TSRTC has opened two helplines at Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) in Hyderabad and Jubilee Hills Bus Station (JBS) in Secunderabad to provide information about the special services. Passengers can contact MGBS helpline on 9959226257 and JBS on 9959226246.
The special buses in Telangana will be operated from Hyderabad to destinations like Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal, Nalgonda, Medak and Siddipet. For Andhra Pradesh, the buses will be plied to Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Bhimavaram, Tenali, Guntur and Kakinada.
The TSRTC has deployed officers at various bus stations in Hyderabad including MGBS, JBS, Central Bus Station, Miyapur X Roads, Ameerpet, Telephone Bhavan, Jeedimetla, Uppal X Roads and LB Nagar to ensure smooth running of special buses.
Thousands of people have already started leaving Hyderabad and surrounding areas to various destinations in both the Telugu states for Sankranthi, which will be celebrated on January 14. MGBS, JBS and other bus stations started witnessing Sankranti rush from Saturday, January 8.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has also announced that it will operate 6,970 special buses from January 7 to 18. However, it is charging 50% extra fare. APSRTC Managing Director Dwaraka Tirumala Rao explained that since the buses would run one side empty, they were charging additional fare. The APSRTC is running special services from Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai to various places in Andhra Pradesh.