With a population of around 70 lakh, Hyderabad is one of the most populous cities in India. The city of Hyderabad offers a number of employment opportunities, both white collar and blue collar; hence it attracts people from different places in India to come to work. A large number of the working population in Hyderabad rely on public transportation for travel. Not only employees, school/university students to job seekers, children to the elderly and housewives to maids, almost everyone travels on state public transport: APSRTC (State Highway Transport Corporation of Andhra Pradesh).

Why do people in Hyderabad prefer APSRTC?

Although there are different means of public transportation such as SETWIN buses (sponsored by the state government but not part of APSRTC), MMTS (local trains), cars, rental taxis, etc., APSRTC buses (usually called city buses/ RTC buses) are the most preferred option for many people in Hyderabad.

Many people travel by city buses because:

•Inexpensive: With four rupees, you can travel up to 3 km on a regular bus in the city of Hyderabad. You can travel from Dilsukhnagar to Secunderabad (around 13 km) with just Rs.11. As a side note, rising gas prices in the state are forcing people to lock their vehicles at home.

•Comfortable: People find that traveling by city bus is more comfortable than traveling by other vehicles, sometimes they prefer city buses to their personal vehicles. They do not need to deal with traffic jams, common during rush hours in various parts of the city. The seats and ventilation on the buses are very decent. Since these buses are larger, they have better shock absorbers that help in a comfortable ride on the bumpy roads of Hyderabad.

•Less exposure to contamination -RTC nozzle seats are much higher than the ground. Unlike cars and other vehicles, passengers will not have a problem with smoke entering the vehicle from the exhaust pipes of other vehicles.

•Safe and Secure -Compared to other transportation options, RTC buses are very safe. Drivers are generally well trained and know how to drive in the city. You can see their driving skills on narrow roads with packed crowds, like in Sultan Bazaar, Koti.

•Convenience: RTC buses cover almost all areas of the city. You will find a bus stop every half kilometer in the city center. Although most buses leave around 6am, there are some services that will start as early as 3:30am in the morning. You can find buses running in the city until midnight.

APSRTC – main actor in public transport:

The reasons mentioned above will definitely make them the preferred options for traveling in the city. This may be why the APSRTC does a good job of providing transportation to the city’s citizens despite constant revenue losses. We’ll look at some interesting stats about APSRTC buses (city services only, not district services) that made them the people’s choice.

•According to the latest statistics, 72% of the population of Hyderabad use public transport (buses, cars, taxis, MMTS) as their main means of transportation. Of which 98% depend on APSRTC.

•The organization maintains a bus fleet with more than 4,000 buses running on different routes covering almost all areas, not only in the city center but also in suburban areas.

•Daily, RTC buses make almost 40,000 trips in the city, transporting around 36 lakh (on average) people.

•From 2,480 buses in 2000-02, RTC buses in the city increased to 3,521 buses in 2009-10.

Types of RTC buses that can be found on the roads of Hyderabad:

There are a variety of RTC bus services in Hyderabad. The bus fare depends on the level of comfort it provides.

•Ordinary: More than 2,000 ordinary urban buses are folding in the city. These buses are one of the cheapest ways to travel in the city. Only by paying 5 rupees we can travel up to 4 km on these buses. These buses are painted in white and orange colors and the minimum fare on these buses is Rs 4/- (up to three bus stops). These buses are always full; Unless you board the bus at the initial stop or if it’s a weird time (late or late at night), you’ll rarely get a seat to sit down.

•Metro Express: About 1,215 Metro Express buses run through the city. While regular buses stop at all stops, the Metro Express will stop only at major bus stops. The minimum fee on these nozzles is 6 rupees. They are slightly larger and more spacious than ordinary nozzles and are often painted blue.

•JNNURM Metro Express: These are special buses that are licensed to the city under the JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) scheme. Although the fares and stops are similar to the Metro Express, they look different. These nozzles are longer and wider with semi-low floors. These buses have LED screens that display the bus number; The origin of the bus and the stops on the route are also displayed. You can find them in white and blue. CNG buses are also being introduced and there are currently around 147 CNG Metro Express buses in operation in the city.

•Metro Deluxe: Deluxe buses stop at fewer places than Metro Express buses and are painted green. The minimum fare on these buses is Rs 8/- and we can find special seats on these buses. As of now, about 50 luxury buses run in the city.

•Veera: Although Deluxe and Veera are the same, they differ in their appearance. These nozzles are blue in color, have LED displays, and also have a semi-low floor. Ticket fares are the same again. These buses were launched during the 2002 National Games to transport players. Therefore, they got the name from Veera, which was the mascot of the National Games.

•City Blade: These mouthpieces offer maximum comfort. The City Sheetals are air-conditioned, have a special seating arrangement, with fold-down seats, ample leg room, and enough room for passengers to board. On these buses you cannot find bedside rides as the doors are fully locked and the driver opens and closes the automatic door at each stop. You can find them in green color and the minimum fare on these buses is Rs 10/-. There are currently 86 City Sheetals operating in the city.

•Mini Buses: They are the last to enter the city, popularly called Charminar mini buses. They are small in size compared to the other buses, with a smaller seating capacity of 32-40 seats. As of now, they are only operating in the Charminar area, as they are specially designed to circulate in the narrow streets of the old city. Ticket fares are similar to ordinary buses and you can find them in white and red colours.

A huge fleet of buses, cheap fares, comfortable rides and, above all, RTC buses allow safe travel for all passengers. It may be that these are more than enough to become a common man’s choice.