Hyderabad Transportation thread

[Gudavalli]

500 new RTC buses for city

They will have facilities like wide doors with hydraulic system and LED lighting in the interiors

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is planning to buy 500 new buses for city and 1,500 buses for district operations this year. All these buses will have better facilities like wide doors with hydraulic system and LED lighting in the interiors.

Efforts were on to improve services for passengers travelling in ordinary and Palle Velugu type buses. Of the 500 new city buses, majority would be ordinary type and among the 1,500 district buses, many would be Palle Velugu services, said A. K. Khan Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of APSRTC.

Speaking to media persons after visiting the Jubilee Bus Station here on Tuesday, Mr. Khan said emphasis was being laid to improve passenger amenities and hygiene at RTC bus stations across the State.

Increased budget

A budget of Rs.12 crore, which was allocated annually to ensure better toilets, hygienic conditions and other facilities for passengers at bus stations, was now increased to Rs.25 crore, he said.

Plans to levy fine

He said plans were afoot to levy a fine of Rs.500 on persons occupying seats meant for women and senior citizens in buses.

He also said plans were being worked out to increase the revenue generated from sources other than passenger earnings.

There was lot of scope to generate more revenue through renting out RTC space for commercial operations, increase advertisement revenue etc, he said.

He said APSRTC earned nearly Rs.180 crore by operating special and regular buses across the State during Dasara holidays this year.

[World8115]

Nice to see more ordinary buses being introduced

[yalla_vamsi]

500 new RTC buses for city

Introducing ordinary buses is a good move.

But what happened to China Buses which runs on battery ?

Do any one know what happened to that proposal.

[World8115]

Yes, what happened to that? Maybe they have given up on the idea. They are also introducing 50 Pushpak buses for Airport, maybe these will be Chinese buses

[p.raghavendra6]

Originally Posted by World8115

Yes, what happened to that? Maybe they have given up on the idea. They are also introducing 50 Pushpak buses for Airport, maybe these will be Chinese buses

I think the current loss making A/C Tata Marcopolos would be converted to Pushpaks.

[World8115]

No, these "Pushpak" would be new AC buses which will connect the Airport along with existing "City Sheetal" (Tata Marcopolo) buses - http://articles.timesofindia.indiati...ccupancy-ratio

[amby_1986]

Battery buses are first being tried i think they are trying tirupati chennai sector first probably once they are happy woth performance they would bring it to hyderabad....

[Gudavalli]

Road Transport Corporation banking on Diwali bonanza

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), which is facing its worst financial crisis, is banking on Diwali rush to get out of the red. In the last three days, the corporation has operated 600 additional buses besides the usual 1,200 services to various destinations in the state.

APSRTC officials said last year during the same period the corporation was in doldrums as the 'Sakala Janula Samme' was at its peak and bus services were hardly available to passengers as RTC workers in Telangana region boycotted duties.

During the recent Dasara festival too, the APSRTC ran services to maximum occupancy and they were forced to operate 3,000 additional services, 1,400 more than the usual festive rush. As always, the corporation has been collecting 50% more that the normal fares from passengers in these additional services. However, fares of air-conditioned buses have remained unchanged.

Even during the recent fare revision, the corporation had not increased fares of air-conditioned buses. APSRTC officials said competition was the prime reason for not increasing fares of air-conditioned buses. APSRTC executive director A Koteshwar Rao told TOI that extra fare was being collected only from passengers travelling in additional services.

Meanwhile, private buses are cashing in on the festival season by inflating fares. "A few local operators who are operating buses to Mumbai are demanding Rs 1,600. During non-peaks days, the fare will be around Rs 800,'' M Karthik, who is into import and export business, said.

APSRTC officials said they were preparing to press in more services as there was unprecedented demand from passengers.

[World8115]

‘All Red Signals’ fails to stop motorists

The move was meant to help pedestrians cross roads at junctions. But due to lack of awareness on the part of motorists and absence of policemen to ensure vehicles are stopped, the concept of ‘All Red Signals’ is not working at all at three junctions where the new system is being tried out. For some inexplicable reasons, no traffic junction in the State capital has a facility to stop vehicles to facilitate pedestrians cross the roads.

However, the traffic police did make a beginning when they wanted to try out the ‘all red signals’ at three junctions - LV Prasad Marg, Jubilee Hills Check post and HITECH City Junction. At these junctions, all signals turn red for a few seconds to allow pedestrians to cross the road. A buzzer would also sound for this duration to alert motorists about the crossing pedestrians.

But buzzer or no buzzer! The recalcitrant ‘Hyderabadi’ motorists seem to be oblivious of the new initiative. While rules stipulate that one should drive ahead only when a green light comes up, most of the motorists keenly follow the signals on opposite sides and race ahead once rest of the sides get red signals. In this melee, many seem to have lost the import of the unfamiliar buzz and ‘all red signals’.
‘Unaware of concept’

“Not many of us know about this concept. Till date, we are only aware that at least one side will have a green signal and countdown timers placed in some junctions were reliable guides. How can we fathom that there could be a possibility of having all red signals,” J. Rajesh Kumar, a motorist, questions.

The police personnel are also conspicuously absent from the roads to imposing this new initiative. “If the authorities are initiating a new concept then they have to educate people before implementing it,” another motorist said.

Traffic authorities, however, said that the concept will be implemented across the city soon. “The ‘All Red Signal’ concept will be a part of the upcoming Hyderabad Traffic Integrated Management System (HTRIMS) project and will be implemented in all junctions once the new system comes up,” a senior police official said. Once the new signal system is in place, policemen will be positioned to educate the motorists, he added.

[World8115]

X-posting APSRTC thread

Luxury buses purchased under JNNURM

Originally Posted by yalla_vamsi

Complaints received about repeated problems, technical snags

Buoyed with the induction of over 2,000 luxury buses, including 1,000 in the capital under the JNNURM scheme in 2010-11, APSRTC authorities are now gearing up to purchase more buses under the second phase of the scheme.

APSRTC procured these buses, which include low-floor, air-conditioned and semi-floor under a cost sharing method. While, the corporation had to bear 60 per cent of a bus cost, the rest was granted by the Central government under the scheme.

Launched by the Central government, Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), is a project dedicated to the development of road network, urban transportation, water supply and sanitation, housing and other aspects in cities.

APSRTC had purchased about 2,000 buses under the scheme of which, 1000 were introduced in the capital. Given features like LED destination boards, more leg space, comfortable seating, etc, there was a good response from commuters.

The Central government is likely to issue a notification for phase II of the scheme in a couple of months, says a senior RTC official. “Depending on the terms and conditions under the scheme, we would purchase more buses. As of now, there is a plan to buy at least 3,000 buses, of this majority would be for the capital,” he says.

However, there were complaints from employees about repeated problems, including technical snags in these buses and APSRTC has sent ‘recommendation’ reports to the Centre. These are advanced buses that come with reduced emission levels when compared to conventional buses. At times, air-conditioning system develops snags, the body structure is big and there are technical features that do not help RTC much, he explains. All these features escalate the cost of a bus by about Rs. 5 lakh. “Through the report, we suggested the Centre could take measures like permitting RTC to design and build the body. These measures would be beneficial in reducing the vehicle cost,” he says.

Source :- HINDU

[Gudavalli]

First phase of ITS to be ready by next year

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has initiated preparatory work towards equipping the city with the first phase of the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) by the end of next year.

Coordination meetings with other departments which are related with roads, traffic and transportation have been taken up to finalise details before the tender process is set in motion for work covering the entire Hyderabad Metropolitan Area.

The project will make the city the first in the country to implement the ITS, estimated to cost Rs.900 crore and to be implemented in three phases.

When in place, the system will act as a guide on traffic conditions by providing a host of inputs right from congestion of vehicles in different parts to movement of buses. Information such as road cutting and repairs, water-logging, pollution and weather conditions.

This information will also be made available for road users through display boards, SMS and even online. The HMDA has been in touch with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Traffic Police and AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) to identify their own respective initiatives and proposals, an official said.

“Some of the ITS components were part of the Hyderabad Traffic Integrated Management System (H-TRIMS) taken up by the GHMC. We wish to integrate it with ITS,” he said.

GHMC has been requested to provide details such as the number of CCTVs and Variable Message Signs (VMS) proposed under H-TRIMS and their locations. APSRTC has to provide information about the proposal on bus probe system using GPS for vehicle tracking - location, movement and scheduled arrival at different stops.

The Traffic Police has been provided with a workstation layout to check the possibility of locating the ITS control room at the present Police Control Room near L.B. Stadium.

Since the project entails installing boards to display VMS, weather and pollution data apart from equipment such as Automatic Vehicle Counter-cum-Classifier (AVCC), required permissions are also being sought, he said.

“The tender process and technicalities of awarding work might take a few months and we should be able to start work around June-July, 2014 to complete the first phase of ITS by December,” the official added.

[Blackbradman]

Originally Posted by World8115

No, these "Pushpak" would be new AC buses which will connect the Airport along with existing "City Sheetal" (Tata Marcopolo) buses - http://articles.timesofindia.indiati...ccupancy-ratio

According to Sakshi News Paper they are going to convert City Sheetal buses in to Pushpaks.

[Gudavalli]

Traffic education van to hit city roads soon

Novel mobile awareness campaign to be launched

Hyderabad: The awareness campaign launched by city traffic police will soon go mobile, as the government sanctioned funds for purchase of a traffic education van among other amenities.The government has relaxed the general ban on purchase of vehicles by city traffic police and sanctioned over Rs 1.71 crore for acquiring vehicles. As part of this, the traffic police will acquire a mini bus with 32 seats costing a little over Rs 11 lakhs and keep it in the custody of Traffic Training Institute (TTI).

A large screen with LCD projector, DVD player and a rear door with steps will be arranged inside the bus at a cost of Rs 2.13 lakhs.
The mini bus will be called ‘traffic education van’ and will be used to create awareness among commuters and children. Traffic police hitherto used to call traffic rule violators, commuters and students to TTI and educate them.

This van could be taken to any place where enforcement against drunken driving was being carried out or to a school where children could be educated on their campus, sources added. The traffic education van will save a lot of financial and manpower resources, a traffic police officer said. Apart from the traffic education van, the city traffic police will purchase ten Tata Sumo vehicles for assistant commissioners of police and inspectors, 151 two-wheelers for sub-inspectors and mobile police teams, said sources.

The new vehicles will certainly improve the performance of the traffic police since the existing vehicles were not road-worthy and police personnel were forced to depend on their personal or private vehicles to discharge their functions.

[World8115]

Originally Posted by Blackbradman

According to Sakshi News Paper they are going to convert City Sheetal buses in to Pushpaks.

So there will be no City A/C buses then ?

[p.raghavendra6]

Source: Times of India

Buses better than autos: HC

HYDERABAD: Wondering why the state government wants to give permission for more autos to ply in the city instead of introducing new RTC busses to cater to the growing transport needs, the high court on Monday refused to vacate the stay on permitting registration of 20,000 new autorickshaws in the GHMC limits. The division bench comprising Chief Justice P C Ghose and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar was dealing with a batch of petitions challenging the government's decision to permit new autorickshaws to ply in the state capital.

Additional advocate general B Bhaskar Rao argued that the decision of the state government would help a lot of youths get employment besides solving transportation problems in the city. M Ganga Rao, counsel for the transport department, made a similar appeal to the bench. The matter will come up for hearing again next week by which time the authorities have to explain their stand clearly.

One tight slap to that Botcha fellow. HC should dismiss these idiots pleas.

[Gudavalli]

RTC Pushpak services to RGIA soon

For the convenience of passengers travelling to Shamshabad airport, APSRTC is learnt to be launching “Pushpak AC” services connecting different areas with Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) from December 15.

Authorities are planning to operate 25 buses on different routes, including Secunderabad- RGIA via L.B.Nagar, Secunderbad-RGIA via Secunderabad, S.R. Nagar- RGIA via Mehdipatnam and Kukatpally-RGIA via Outer Ring Road. Commuters can board and alight these buses at designated bus stops on all the four routes. Buses would be operated from 3 a.m. onwards till midnight and fares range between Rs.100 to Rs.200.

Though these buses are exclusively operated to airport, general commuters too can travel. Passengers would have to pay for the distance travelled on a particular route. For instance, if a passenger boards a bus from Keyes High School to L.B.Nagar, he would be charged for that distance and not the entire route fare, explains RTC Greater Hyderabad zone Executive Director A. Koteswara Rao.

On the advantages of operating these buses, Mr. Rao says that unlike Aero Express buses, in which only airport passengers were permitted to travel, these buses would accommodate all passengers, irrespective of the bus stop they alight. “This would help us in generating more revenue. Further, the maximum fare is Rs.200 per head against Rs. 230 charged in Aero Express buses,” says Mr.Rao. This apart, for the benefit of commuters, RTC is coming up with a monthly special Pushpak AC bus pass costing Rs.2,000. These pass holders are eligible to travel in all the city buses.

[Blackbradman]

They have changed the color of current City Sheetal Marcopolo buses to red. These buses are good for nothing. They create unbearable noise and the AC System is also not efficient compared to that of Volvo's.

APSRTC Should run Volvo's atleast to airport and IT Corridors like Bangalore BMTC. APSRTC is the biggest bus corporation in he world but still we are lagging in terms of quality.

[chandug]

I m new to this forum. I was very impressed with the kind of updates on this forum.

Just want to know why there is no seperate thread for Hyderabad Metro

As this is in real development phase now, should we start one ?

[Blackbradman]

Originally Posted by chandug

I m new to this forum. I was very impressed with the kind of updates on this forum.

Just want to know why there is no seperate thread for Hyderabad Metro

As this is in real development phase now, should we start one ?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...59134&page=262

[World8115]

Originally Posted by Blackbradman

They have changed the color of current City Sheetal Marcopolo buses to red. These buses are good for nothing. They create unbearable noise and the AC System is also not efficient compared to that of Volvo's.

APSRTC Should run Volvo's atleast to airport and IT Corridors like Bangalore BMTC. APSRTC is the biggest bus corporation in he world but still we are lagging in terms of quality.

Agree. City Sheetal are very bad buses. I think Volvo Semi Low-Floor A/C buses are better compared to Sheetal. So the red-Sheetals will now be Pushpak? I think even if APSRTC acquires Volvos, they have to maintain the buses, the condition of JnNURM metro buses is pathetic