Hyderabad: The recent hike in the bus fares of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation has almost equaled the fares of Metro rail services. There is every chance of the Corporation losing its passengers to Metro rail over short distances as the latter is faster.
The money spent by passengers on metro buses and the Hyderabad Metro Rail for short distances have become almost equal, with this, there remains a scope for shifting of passengers from bus services to metro rail, particularly on some routes which are heavily traffic prone.
The TSRTC which has increased Rs. 5 after 6 km and 4 km journey on the Metro Express and Metro Deluxe services respectively, it would be a crucial factor for the shift of passengers to Metro rail in coming days as commuters who were preferring TSRTC buses for less fare would be opting for other modes of transport, including the Metro rail.
For some distances, Metro Rail and Bus fares are almost the same. Earlier also, the Metro rail was cheaper on some routes. If a passenger going from Koti to Lakdikapul in Metro Express bus had to shell out Rs. 15 before the fare revision, he was paying only Rs. 13 in Metro rail.
Between Koti to Khairatabad, it is now charged Rs. 23 on Metro Rail and Rs. 20 on RTC Metro bus.
Similarly, from Lakdikapul to Erragadda, the fare is now Rs. 23 on Metro Rail and Rs. 20 on bus. “Why would anyone choose a bus for such a short distance? They may choose Metro Rail as it is faster, avoids traffic snarls and is also air conditioned, said a few passengers. TSRTC should consider reducing the fare atleast for some stages. Rs. 25 for 7 km on a Metro Express is a bit too much.
