APSRTC proposes 10-15% hike in bus fares

The Andhra Pradesh State Road Tourist Corporation (APSRTC) has proposed a 10-15 per cent hike in fares, a top executive said here today.
"We submitted a proposal to the state government to hike fares by 10-15% to reduce the financial burden after we increased salaries and wages of the employees," APSRTC vice-chairman and managing director N Sambasiva Rao said.
Rao, along with officials, conducted a review on shifting of the APSRTC headquarters here from Hyderabad in view of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
"The hike in salaries alone has added a burden of Rs 660 crore on APSRTC. Unless the government allows hike in fares, it would be very difficult to run the corporation," Rao said, adding that APSRTC has not raised fares since 2013.

He said the corporation has managed to reduce its losses to Rs 25 crore in the first quarter of this financial year as compared to Rs 168 crore in the same period of FY15, due to drop in diesel prices and by improving efficiency.
On shifting of its headquarters, he said APSRTC will be operated from Vijayawada from September 1 and that almost all the staff members allocated to Andhra Pradesh post division have agreed to shift their families to Vijayawada.

He said APSRTC has decided to invest Rs 52 crore this year on passenger amenities. "Bus stations at all important places and particularly at Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada would be developed with all modern amenities for passengers," Rao added.

He revealed that some private organisations are coming forward to take up modernisation of bus stations under public private participation (PPP) route.
"We are ready to allow private players to make investments for modernising the bus stations in view of public interest," Rao added.