More AC buses would ply on more routes in Hyderabad soon

The Hyderabad city will see air-conditioned buses on more routes than now across the city. The Greater Hyderabad zone of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation has taken a decision following an increase in the occupancy ratio in the air conditioned buses now plying on the city roads.

According to officials, there has been a spurt in the number of passengers traveling by AC buses in the recent past particularly on the long-distance city routes. The passenger preference seems to have changed of late and they seem to prefer travelling by air-conditioned buses and hence the occupancy ratio has increased on some routes. 

RTC operates about 165 AC buses from



29 depots in the Greater Hyderabad zone on different routes. Sources said that earlier these buses were making losses to the tune of Rs 4 lakh per day and hence the officials had decided to run them wherever there was a demand. Till recently the occupancy ratio used to be below 40 in Metro, Luxury AC buses but now it was picking up very fast.  

For example, route number 218 D Dilsukhnagar- Lingampally (Malakpet, Koti, Lakdi ka Pul, Ameerpet, Ameerpet, KPHB) had occupancy ratio of 60 per cent earlier but now it has gone up to 73 per cent. Similarly, route 222L Lingampally-L B Nagar, which had 40 per cent occupancy ratio, has now touched over 53 per cent.