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VIJAYAWADA: After 58 days of stay in the bus depots, APSRTC buses reaching the paths of all 126 depots in the State 7-on Thursday morning. In the first place, 1,683 buses will be operated on 436 routes within the state. Reservations began at 4 pm on Wednesday in the Line of Passenger Reservation System (OPRS). The OPRS, however, witnessed failures initially.
“The server was kept busy for a while, but the problem was rectified and people can now book tickets,” an official said. In urgent cases, and for those who cannot book online, the tickets can be purchased at the special counters at the bus stations.
The bus does not make stops between the origin and the destination, and services within the city (Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada) will not be resumed for now. Between 100 and 110 buses will be operated in each of the 13 districts.
The seats have been modified in the Super Deluxe, Ultra Deluxe, Palle Velugu and express buses to ensure that there is no physical contact between passengers.
APSRTC to operate only non-AC buses
For now, the APSRTC will only operate non-AC buses. But if it is necessary, AC buses will be used, with the temperature set to 26 degrees Celsius. However, the blankets will not be provided, and there will be assistants on buses to assist passengers. Pratap asks for people older than 65 years and less than 10 that do not travel for anything other than an emergency.
“Of the 12,600-odd buses, 1,683 run throughout the state, including in the red areas. The rest of the bus can also be used, but in a phased manner,” Pratap said. Buses are not on the board of directors of the orchestra as there is a risk of them turning super-spreaders Covid-19. Pratap linked to the losses incurred by the APSRTC during the past two months in the Rs 12,000 crore.
APSRTC buses start plying. #Lockdown4 https://t.co/nzr0TVuZJo
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“The corporation is not in a position to pay the energy bills to 425 bus stations. March, April and May are the crucial months for the APSRTC to increase revenue, as several people travel for the summer holidays, and weddings.
However, with the blockade, which was not possible this year,” he said.
However, there are no plans to increase the price of the bus. In a recent videoconference with the Minister of Transport of the Union Nitin Gadkari, state Minister of Transport Perni Venkataramaiah sought Rs 700 crore to cover the losses caused by the blockade. Gadkari responded positively to the request.
The corporation is also focusing on making money by encouraging freight services. Around Rs 72 crore was earned through freight services in the past year. The officials said to modify scrapping buses and use them for cargo transport. “The APRTC has earned Rs 25 crore through freight services to the AP of Seeds, and bids worth Rs 250 crore were cited by the Civil Supplies Department for the transportation of essential goods,” Pratap said.
AArogya respective eras application, masks mandatory
All passengers have to download the Aarogya respective eras of mobile applications so that they can be tracked in case of any eventuality, the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) vice chairman and managing director M Pratap said. The APSRTC will store the passenger data for 15 days.
The masks are a mandatory requirement, and can be purchased in stalls at bus stations Rs 10 each. Automatic hand sanitizing machines have also been set up in bus stations
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