APSRTC will run 5,261 special buses to clear the Dasara rush

The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) plans to run 5,261 special buses during the Dasara festival to cater to the increase in passenger traffic in the state and from major cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai.

A statement issued by APSRTC on Thursday said the special services will be run in two phases – 3,207 buses from October 16 to 19 before the festival and another 2,054 buses from October 20 to 25 for the return journey.

The aim of the measure is to facilitate travel to birthplaces and important pilgrimage sites during the festival season. The main festival days are Moola Nakshatram on 16th October, Durgashtami on 18th October, Maharnavam on 19th October and Vijayadasami on 20th October.

Festival rush at the RTC bus stand as people travel to their native places, ahead of Sankranthi in Visakhapatnam. PHOTO FILE | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO

Out of the total scheduled special services, 1,186 buses will be operated to Hyderabad, which is the highest allocation of destinations, followed by 1,053 to Vijayawada, 475 to Bengaluru, 440 to Visakhapatnam, 347 to Rajamahendravaram, 247 to Tirupati and 153 to Chennai Another 1,360 buses are earmarked for other destinations.

APSRTC made the largest allocation of buses to Hyderabad, with 533 buses during the pre-Dasara period and 653 during the post-Dasara period. Vijayawada will have 719 pre-Dasara services and 334 post-Dasara services. Bengaluru will get 252 and 223 buses, while Visakhapatnam will have 253 and 187 services.

The special operations will cover all the four APSRTC zones. Zone II will have the highest number of services with 2,218 buses, followed by Zone IV with 1,118, Zone I with 1,107 and Zone III with 818.

Among the districts, NTR district will have the highest allocation of 804 special buses, followed by Visakhapatnam (416), Eluru (340), YSR Kadapa (318), Srikakulam (279), East Godavari (260), Prakasam (245) and Kakinada (224).

Zone-I will operate 279 special buses from Srikakulam, 123 from Parvathipuram-Manyam, 141 from Vizianagaram, 35 from Alluri Sitharama Raju, 416 from Visakhapatnam and 113 from Anakapalli. In Zone II, the allocation includes 224 buses from Kakinada, 260 from East Godavari, 177 from Dr. BR Ambedkar Konaseema, 206 from West Godavari, 340 from Eluru, 207 from Krishna and 804 from NTR district.

Zone-III will operate 85 buses from Guntur, 77 from Palnad, 132 from Bapatla, 245 from Prakasam, 140 from Markapuram and 139 from SPS Nellore. Zone-IV will operate 100 buses from Tirupati, 78 from Chittoor, 118 from Annamayya, 318 from YSR Kadapa, 94 from Nandyal, 161 from Kurnool, 88 from Anantapur and 161 from Sri Sathya Sai.

APSRTC authorities said that additional services will be prepared and operated based on passenger demand and that special services will continue even after Dasara to handle the expected rush on return journeys.

The aim was to ensure safe, comfortable and convenient travel for passengers during the festival by making adequate bus services available in line with demand, officials said.

Published – 8th October 2026 20:30 IST