One of the key promises made by the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance in their manifesto was the free bus scheme for women. Recently, it was announced that this scheme would be implemented from August 15.
Meanwhile, APSRTC officials have prepared a detailed report on this scheme’s implementation. It was stated that there would be an expected burden of Rs. 250 crores on RTC per month due to this scheme.
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RTC officials visited Telangana and Karnataka, where this scheme is being implemented, and studied on which buses the scheme is applicable, how the government is reimbursing the burden amount, and various other factors.
The officials are expected to discuss their report with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu during the RTC and Transport review meeting, which will be held tomorrow.
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On average, 36-37 lakh people travel in RTC buses regularly, and 40% of them are women. That means 15 lakh women travel regularly in RTC buses, and they will now be provided with free transportation.
In Telangana, the free bus scheme is applicable in Palle Velugu, Ultra Palle Velugu, and Express buses in rural areas, and city ordinary and metro express buses in urban areas. In Karnataka, free transportation is provided for express services in rural areas and Bengaluru city services.
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The APSRTC officials are planning to provide free transportation in Palle Velugu, Ultra Palle Velugu, Express services, and city ordinary and metro services in Vijayawada and Vishakapatnam.
In Telangana and Karnataka, the officials are issuing zero tickets for women. Even though charges are zero, the main ticket rate will be recorded in the machine. In that way, the total amount for uncharged free tickets will be calculated.
The occupancy in Telangana and Karnataka increased from 65-70% to 95% after implementing the scheme. In AP, the current occupancy is around 69-70% and is expected to achieve similar figures once the scheme is implemented.
On average, RTC is getting a monthly income of Rs. 500 crores through ticket sales, and out of that, Rs. 250 crores are being spent on diesel.
As the government is paying salaries for RTC employees, RTC is giving 25% of its income (around Rs. 125 crores) to the government every month.
Now, after the free ticket scheme is implemented, RTC need not pay this amount to the government. Additionally, the government should only reimburse Rs. 125 crores to RTC in return.
All these factors will be discussed in tomorrow’s review meeting, and guidelines will be made accordingly before implementing the scheme.
