TGSRTC will operate 7,000 Dasara special buses from Hyderabad and other Telangana regions to manage the festival travel rush, with services being added or shifted between routes according to passenger demand. Fares on these special buses will rise by up to 1.5 times on six specified dates, while fares on regular services will remain unchanged.
The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation expects the peak outward rush to begin on Friday, with a major return movement anticipated on October 25 and 26. The corporation said buses would be repositioned during the return journey if demand on individual routes changes.
The fare revision will apply on October 9, 10, 16 and 17, and October 25 and 26. TGSRTC said the higher charges are permitted under Government Order No. 16 of 2003, which allows fare revisions on special buses operated during major festivals and special occasions to meet additional diesel and operational costs. The corporation said the provision has been followed since the erstwhile combined RTC and continued after the formation of TGSRTC.
Of the 7,000 planned services, 3,533 will be operated from the Karimnagar zone, according to TGSRTC managing director Y Nagi Reddy. This allocation includes 431 buses from the Adilabad region, 719 from Nizamabad, 1,175 from Karimnagar, 530 from Warangal and 678 from Khammam.
The Hyderabad zone will operate another 2,155 special buses, including 645 from Mahabubnagar, 255 from Medak, 815 from Nalgonda and 440 from Rangareddy. The Greater Hyderabad zone will run 1,312 services to meet demand within and around the city.
In Hyderabad, special buses will operate from major passenger points including Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, Jubilee Bus Station, Uppal, Aramghar, LB Nagar Crossroads, KPHB, Bowenpally and Gachibowli. TGSRTC said it would arrange pandals, shamianas, chairs, public address systems, drinking water and mobile toilets at key locations to manage passenger crowds.
The corporation said buses deployed on routes with limited demand would be brought back and used on routes recording higher passenger numbers. The arrangement is intended to allow the fleet to be adjusted during both the outward and return journeys rather than keeping services fixed on pre-assigned routes.
Women will continue to travel free under the state government’s Mahalakshmi scheme on Palle Velugu, Express, City Ordinary and Metro Express services, including regular and special buses operated for Dasara. Passengers can book seats in advance through the TGSRTC website. For information on special services, the corporation has provided the call centre numbers 040-69440000 and 040-23450033.
