The unprecedented response to the Mahalakshmi scheme for women and transgenders and the upcoming Sankranti festival appear to make the case for an urgent augmentation of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation’s (TSRTC) fleet of buses.
Transport experts, and officials, who did not wished to be identified, said that the boost to ridership and occupancy on account of the Mahalakshmi scheme’s zero-fare tickets for women and transgenders, which stand at a massive 6.5 crore according to latest figures, the occupancy has soared to about 90%. This means that during rush hours, several depots have occupancy that has crossed 100%.
“The rush would mean that there are a lot of standees (standing passengers). Occupancy has touched 140% in some depots. This occupancy is very encouraging, and the number of passengers travelling has increased from 32 lakh to over 45 lakh. This means we need more, and more buses,” a TSRTC source said.
