To cater to the needs of the people during the Dasara festivities, the A.P. State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) will run 5,500 special buses from October 13 to 26.
In a statement on October 4 (Wednesday), APSRTC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said that in view of Durgashtami on October 22 and Navami / Dasami on October 23, they would operate special buses from major cities of the neighbouring States such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai and back.
Special bus services were also being planned from all the major cities and towns such as Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Kurnool, Tirupati, Rajamahendravanam, Anantapur, Vizianagaram, Kakinada, Bhimavaram, Amalapurm, Kadapa, Srisailam, Markapuram Ongole, Tuni, Srikakulam and Nellore, in addition to the regular buses.
Mr. Rao said that out of the 5,500 special buses, the corporation would operate 2,050 services from Hyderabad, 440 from Bengaluru, 153 from Chennai, 480 from Visakhapatnam, 355 from Rajamahendravaram, 885 from Vijayawada and 1,137 buses to other places connecting important towns.
This year also, the corporation decided not to increase the ticket prices. It also decided to collect normal fares, mainly to attract passengers opting for private bus services, he added.
Many ‘Bhavanis’ were expected to throng the Kanaka Durga temple atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada. To cater to their commuting needs, 885 buses would be pressed into service. He said the schedules and routes of the buses were decided keeping in view the long weekend on account of continuous holidays for schools, colleges and offices during the festivities.
Advance reservation
The newly-introduced Unified Ticketing Solutions (UTS) machines would enable the passengers to buy tickets using UPI, debit card or credit card, thus eliminating the problem of change.
Mr. Rao said advance reservation facility was available for all long-distance special services and people could avail of 10% discount on the fare for both up and down journeys, if they choose to book their return journey also.
Advance reservation of tickets could be done by availing of the services of ATB agents, through APSRTC mobile app, or in the online mode.
Mr. Rao said officers and supervisors were deployed to monitor the smooth operation of the special buses at all major boarding points across the State and Hyderabad. All buses were provided with GPS tracking system, and the public could utilise the central call centre facility (149 and 0866-2570005) in case of any problem, he said.
