The number of passengers travelling in State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) buses has jumped from an average of 84.1.5 lakh per day in the last six months to 1.05 crore after the Shakti Scheme, according to M.R. Sreenivasamurthy, retired IAS officer and Chairman of the one-man committee formed in 2021.
Mr. Sreenivasamurthy, who submitted the report to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Saturday, also expressed his appreciation for the scheme saying that the numbers are proof of the success of the scheme.
Expansion of fleet key
According to sources, the report has stated that making operations of RTCs more sustainable and expansion of fleet size were paramount to keep up with the expanding ridership. “The recommendations were made about how to reduce operational costs and also to make operations sustainable in terms of passenger amenities,” the source said. While not suggesting that staff number at corporations should be reduced, the report suggested that the cost incurred on staffing should be brought down.
The report has also said that switching to electric vehicles could reduce the cost incurred on fuel for buses. “The biggest elements of transport costs are manpower and diesel. They account for 80% of total costs,” the source said.
No expansion from 2013-14
While the fleet size at transport corporations went up from around 12,500 to over 24,000 buses between 2003-04 and 2013-14, there has been no significant expansion after that, the report said.
Mr. Sreenivasamurthy is also learnt to have stressed on the need to step up the fleet size as the demand for transport services has increased due to urbanisation and more people moving around for economic activities.
The Transport Minister informed officers to pay attention to maintenance of cleanliness in bus stands, providing seating arrangements, hygienic toilets and drinking water for the commuters. He said he would make surprise visits to bus stands to examine the aspects and instructed officers to regularly visit the bus stands to monitor the cleanliness.
