Hyderabad’s Dasara travel rush has filled regular trains and buses, pushed airfares sharply higher and prompted transport authorities to add thousands of services as residents leave the city for their hometowns. The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) has deployed 7,000 special buses, while South Central Railway (SCR) is operating more than 600 special trains to manage the seasonal passenger surge.
TGSRTC has been running the special bus services since October 10, with about 95% of the planned operations completed so far. However, passengers using these special services are being charged fares 50% higher than regular ticket rates, adding to the cost of travelling during the festival period.
The corporation expects passenger traffic to rise further on October 17 and 18. It has instructed officials to operate additional buses on routes recording higher demand, making route-level monitoring critical as terminals handle larger crowds than normal. The arrangement covers travel from Hyderabad to destinations where residents typically return during the Dasara holidays.
TGSRTC managing director Y Nagi Reddy has directed field officers to closely supervise the operation of special buses and reduce passenger inconvenience during the rush. According to the report, the corporation has also made arrangements for drinking water, rest facilities, sanitation and security at bus stations.
Passengers have been advised to book tickets in advance through the corporation’s official website, www.tgsrtcbus.in. The advance-booking request reflects the pressure on available capacity, particularly on routes where regular services are already seeing heavy demand.
Rail travel is facing a similar squeeze. Regular trains from Hyderabad to destinations across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are running full as passengers travel home for the festival. To accommodate the additional traffic, SCR is operating more than 600 special trains and augmenting services on routes with higher demand.
The surge is also affecting air travel. Airfares from Hyderabad to destinations including Kolkata, Bhopal, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Patna have doubled amid increased demand and limited flight availability. With road and rail services under pressure, passengers relying on air travel are facing a substantially higher cost of reaching their destinations.
The coordinated response across road and rail networks shows how a short festive travel window can rapidly test the capacity of Hyderabad’s regional mobility system. For passengers, the immediate concerns remain ticket availability, higher fares and crowd management at terminals and stations. TGSRTC officials are expected to continue monitoring demand and add buses on routes requiring additional capacity through the peak travel dates.
