Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) will operate 7,000 special buses across the state for Bathukamma and Dasara to help people travel to their native places. The services will run until October 20, according to Sridevi, Regional Manager of the Rangareddy region.
To manage the festival rush, TGSRTC has announced a 50% fare increase on special buses on select dates. The revised fares will apply to journeys from Hyderabad to other destinations on October 9, 10, 16 and 17. For return journeys, the increase will apply on October 25 and 26.
However, regular bus fares will remain unchanged on normal service days. Women will also continue to travel free on all buses under the Mahalakshmi scheme, as before.
TGSRTC special buses allocated across key zones
Of the 7,000 special buses, the Karimnagar zone will receive the largest allocation, with 3,533 services. The Hyderabad zone will operate 2,155 buses, while the Greater Hyderabad zone will run 1,312.
In addition, TGSRTC has arranged 815 buses for Nalgonda, 645 for Mahabubnagar, 440 for the Rangareddy region and 255 for Medak. From the Greater Hyderabad area, 1,354 buses will depart for destinations across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on October 16. Another 1,211 services will leave on October 17.
To handle the rush in Hyderabad, the corporation has made special arrangements at major bus stations and departure points. These include MGBS, JBS, Uppal, LB Nagar, KPHB and Gachibowli. Officials have arranged shelters, drinking water and mobile toilets for passengers.
Meanwhile, TGSRTC officials have advised travellers to reserve tickets in advance to avoid inconvenience during the festival period. The special services are scheduled to continue until October 20.