A spoke in TSRTC’s wheel of fortune Premium

As per official figures, nearly 6.85 crore zero-fare tickets have been issued by the TSRTC, between December 15, 2023, and January 9, 2024.

Just two days after forming the government in Telangana, the Congress party rolled out the Mahalakshmi scheme, offering free travel to women, girls, and transgender people on State-run buses from December 9 last year. On December 15, zero-fare tickets began to be issued. Now, up to 62% of bus passengers are women which the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) that operates the buses, claims is a jump from the earlier composition.

As per official figures, nearly 6.85 crore zero-fare tickets have been issued by the TSRTC, between December 15, 2023, and January 9, 2024. Overall occupancy, which hovered around 50% in mid-November, has seen a surge. Approximately half of the 97 depots in the State recorded full occupancy in the first few days of the scheme being launched. It breached the 100% mark on December 23. Since that date, occupancy rate has remained largely steady, and consistently above the 80% mark. The substantial spike in occupancy rates indicates an increase in access to public transport for women.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that women are largely satisfied with the scheme. “I used to spend ₹50 for a bus ride from my home in Secunderabad to my office near Raj Bhavan, and an equal amount on the return journey. The scheme has resulted in big savings. In general, women who travel by bus are happy with the Mahalakshmi scheme because of the money they are able to save,” says Lakshmi K., who works as an office administrator at a private company in Hyderabad.

While the Congress government has been emphasising the success of the scheme, with women expressing widespread approval, the spotlight has now shifted to other issues. At the forefront is the urgent need for augmentation of the TSRTC’s ailing, ageing bus fleet.

TSRTC is a largely public-funded entity that began operations in 1932 under the Road Transport Department during the Nizam’s rule. With Sankranthi, the harvest festival on January 15, and the biennial Medaram jatara — a festival of tribal origin – fast approaching in February, the need for more buses is more pronounced.

The TSRTC in 2023 had a fleet strength of 9,053, of which approximately 2,700 ply in the Greater Hyderabad Zone, including Hyderabad city and the IT corridor, an area of approximately 650 square km. “The government must understand that we need more buses. The current requirement is between 2,500 and 2,900 buses,” a TSRTC official, requesting anonymity, says.

But officials also know that losses to the tune of thousands of crores which the corporation has incurred over the last decade makes this demand challenging. This is precisely the reason why the State government should step in, they argue.