Hyderabad: Telangana’s Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar defended the recent hike in RTC bus pass rates, attributing it to the central government’s decision to raise toll taxes, which he said has placed a significant financial strain on the state’s public transport system.
Speaking to media persons, Prabhakar explained that the increased toll fees have compelled the RTC to recover losses by adjusting bus pass rates. He pointed out that fares have also been revised on routes where RTC buses operate under the toll tax system.
He highlighted that in Hyderabad, students now have the added benefit of using Metro Express buses, which has been factored into the fare adjustments. “For years, we did not touch bus pass rates,” he noted, adding that the government has paid a whopping ₹6,000 crore to the RTC under the Mahalakshmi scheme, which offers free travel to women.
Prabhakar argued that the Mahalakshmi scheme has led to a drop in student patronage on ordinary buses, prompting the RTC to introduce minimal fare hikes to allow students to travel on Metro Express buses as well.
Dismissing opposition protests over the fare hike, the minister insisted that the increase was modest and within everyone’s means. “Given the rising prices of essential commodities, a small fare adjustment was inevitable,” he said.
Prabhakar further assured that if the Centre rolls back the toll tax hike, the RTC would promptly reduce bus fares on those routes. “Within a minute of that rollback, we will lower the fares,” he promised, underscoring the government’s commitment to commuters.
