The government’s decision to allow the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) to hike city bus fares within the Greater Hyderabad zone, and sparing the rural areas and the district buses is being criticised by the political parties as an aim to benefit in the local body polls while burdening the city travellers.
The fare hike was ₹5 for the first three stages on ordinary city services and ₹10 from the fourth stage onwards. For Metro Express services, fares rose by ₹5 at the first stage and ₹10 for each subsequent stage. Officials said the move aims to generate over ₹300 crore to support infrastructure development for the induction of around 2,800 electric buses in the city, replacing the existing diesel fleet.
While the Congress government described the fare revision as a necessary step towards green mobility, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) demanded an immediate rollback, calling the decision “anti-poor.” BJP State president N. Ramchander Rao said the government’s move amounted to “giving with one hand and taking away with the other,” referring to the continuation of free rides for women alongside a steep fare hike. “The ₹10 increase in minimum city bus fares has hit common commuters hard,” he said.
