APSRTC to tie up with 2 foreign firms on bus scheduling

The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is set to tie up with two European companies for improving its routes.

Goal Systems from France and Spain’s Lumi Plan will separately do a pilot study on computer-based centralised scheduling of 10-12 identified busy routes for it.

The corporation has been in discussion with the international partners for the last two months, and is hopeful of finalising an arrangement by next month, following which the study would be completed in three months.

APSRTC vice chairman & managing director J Purnachandra Rao today said the exercise would help them service the passengers better as the study aims to understand the occupancy levels at various boarding stations besides bus tracking at various stages.

“If we find the pilot useful, we will extend the area of operation under such scheduling to cover all long-distance areas..we may apply it to some 200-300 services or may take them to a depot area or a zone level,” said Rao.

According to him, over a period of three-five years, the corporation would take up scheduling operations on its own once it staff gain necessary expertise.

With an annual consumption of 600 million litres of diesel, the corporation has decided to replace 10 per cent of it with bio-diesel. “We will go for tenders inviting potential suppliers for at least 60 million litres of bio-diesel at fixed price contract,” Rao said.