Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao on Tuesday, August 12, strongly criticised chief minister A Revanth Reddy for the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) decision to increase bus fares by 1.5 times during festivals. Referring to the recent Raksha Bandhan fare hike, KTR sarcastically suggested that the CM should travel in an RTC bus to personally experience the “rare blessings” of the public. He further remarked that while the government claims to offer free bus rides for women, the burden is being unfairly shifted onto other passengers through steep fare hikes during festive seasons.
The former minister accused the Congress-led state government of “looting” people even on festival days, describing the move as “no ordinary intelligence.” He also took a jab at the government’s much-publicised six guarantees, proposing that the festival-time fare hike be introduced as the “seventh guarantee.” According to KTR, such decisions reflect misplaced priorities, as they not only affect festive cheer but also raise concerns over affordability for common travellers.
The fare hike was implemented by TGSRTC specifically for special buses during Raksha Bandhan, with regular bus fares remaining unchanged. To inform passengers, display boards were placed on special buses. However, low passenger turnout was reported on return journeys, prompting the corporation to withdraw empty buses from underutilised routes and reallocate them to busier ones. Despite these measures, the hike has sparked political debate, with opposition leaders calling for a rollback to ensure fair and affordable travel during festivals.
