The new buses will be operated according to the model of gross costs, says Minister of Transport andhra Pradesh M. Ramprasad Reddy.
Given that Andhra Pradesh is preparing to start another scheme of free bus travel for women in the State of 15 August, negotiations are underway on precise way of carrying out.
While Minister N. Chandrababa Naida said that the district would be considered a unit for the system, the key participating parties, including the AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), expressed concern about the feasibility of the model.
According to sources in the transport department, the implementation of the system at the district level may lead to operational problems, except for complications in tracking routes and enforcement of competence across intercity services.
Officials feel more uniform nationwide implementation, ensure smoother coordination and reduce the risk of abuse or logistics narrow places.
“Restricting travel in the districts will lead to confusion for women who need to travel across the district borders. Single state level policy will be more inclusive and more manageable,” says APSRTC official.
“The last call for this issue will be accepted after the main minister returns from Delhi,” says Transport Minister M. Ramprasad Reddy.
Mr. Ramprasad Reddy said that the government had spoken that the government was in the trial of 2,000 new buses to expand the existing fleet and support the expected increase in passengers after the start of the system. “While buses do not have to arrive in time for introduction, they will be put into the fleet a gradual way,” the minister said.
Currently, women commute 35% of the occupancy rate (OR) in APSRTC buses compared to 65% of men. “After the system is introduced, the number of passengers of women may increase to 65% OR,” the minister said.
From a financial point of view, the Minister said it would be an annual expenditure of 2,000 GBP, which was significantly lower than other schemes under the government super six promises.
Mr. Ramprasad Reddy said that new buses will be operated on the basis of the GRUS COST Contract (GCC), a framework in which private operators supply and maintain buses while APSRTC would manage operations and select revenue.
The Union is worried about the loss of jobs
However, the GCC is against public transport departments AP, which is worried about the loss of jobs in the future. They insisted that APSRTC is working and maintaining new buses that have been designed to be included in the fleet.
“Already 25% of buses in the fleet operates private companies. These are growing concerns between workers in the organization of public transport,” said P. Damodar Rao.
He said that the existing 11,500 fleet buses and 46,000 employees had to be expanded before the program started. “The company will rely on more than 5,000 drivers to call for their daily operations,” he said, indicating the scope of employees’ crisis.
Published – 15 July 2025 17:28
