Not very long ago, about 25 passengers commuting from Gokavaram to Pathakota via Gurthedu in a bus belonging to the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) had a miraculous escape when the rear axle of the bus got detatched from the tyres at Yedlakonda under Y. Ramavaram mandal in East Godavari district.
The incident, which occurred amidst constant complaints of the bad condition of RTC’s Palle Velugu buses that cater to the transport needs of people in the rural areas, was almost like a wake up call, and the authorities decided to spruce up these vehicles.
Of the more than 3,000 Palle Velugu buses in the RTC fleet, about 2,000 of them would get a facelift. “These vehicles have been the most neglected ones perhaps because they are not the revenue-earning services. But now, they will be refurbished to cater to the commuting needs of the rural population,” said the corporation's Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao.
Mr. Rao, who assumed charge a few months ago, has been trying to identify areas that need immediate attention.
The logistics sector that has helped the corporation shore up its revenues during the difficult months of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown, continues to give the officials a reason to smile.
Parcel service
With the public response to the cargo and parcel services launched by the public sector giant quite encouraging, those at the helm decided to expand the services and introduced “door delivery” of the couriers and parcels from September 1 this year.
“Initially we started in a small way by accepting parcels up to only 10 kg to be delivered within a radius of 10 km in 16 places across the State just to see if we can adequately handle the delivery business,” Mr. Rao told The Hindu, informing that the corporation would, by this month-end, increase the limit of the courier/parcel weight up to 50 kg and also the radius of its operation.
The door delivery facility introduced in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Kakinada, Eluru, Vijayawada, Machilipatnam, Guntur, Ongole, Nellore, Chittoor, Tirupati, Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur, is now being extended to 180 places across the State. “Customers from any of these 180 places can seek door delivery of their parcels or couriers,” he said.
Electric buses
The corporation is keen on acquiring 100 electric buses as part of the Centrally-sponsored scheme. “These vehicles will not only spare us the woes on account of high diesel and petrol rates, but will also usher in clean and green mode of transport,” Mr. Rao said.
The APSRTC has liabilities worth ₹5,000 crore and the authorities are working overtime to find new avenues of revenue-generation to clear the accumulated losses in the earliest possible time.
