Government's decision to increase per-day working hours of APSRTC employees opposed
Speaking at the federation's State committee meeting in Guntur on Sunday, its State president Ch. Sundaraiah and general secretary M. Ayyappa Reddy expressed concern over the government's 'anti-worker policies' and said they would participate in the State-wide protest call given by the Joint Action Committee of Employees and Workers Unions.
The federation leaders demanded that the government implement the circular 1/2019 on conductor's job security, cancel the worker-hostile clauses in GO No. 70, and pay all the pending dues to employees and workers. They also demanded immediate constitution of the Pay Revision Commission (PRC) and announcement of Interim Relief (IR).
The federation has decided to hold its State conference on June 27 in Vijayawada to discuss the issues affecting conductors and other employees. The leaders also announced plans to hold a State-level 13th conference on October 9-10 in Tirupati, and organise training classes for selected activists in July.
They urged the APSRTC management to discuss and resolve the issues affecting employees and workers, and demanded deployment of new buses, recruitment of drivers, conductors and mechanics and payment of all pending dues.
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The Hindu
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APSRTC MD reviews arrangements ahead of ‘Stree Shakti' scheme launch
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Time of India
7 hours ago
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Naidu to launch free bus scheme for women today
Vijayawada: City is set to witness the launch of a much-awaited welfare scheme as chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu unveils Stree Shakti — free bus travel for women — on the occasion of Independence Day celebrations on Friday. The initiative, part of the coalition government's "Super Six" promises, is aimed at empowering nearly half of Andhra Pradesh's population by providing them with safe, accessible and cost-free public transport. State information, public relations and housing minister Kolusu Parthasarathi, announcing the scheme in Amaravati, said, "With women forming about 50% of our population, this programme ensures equal opportunities and supports their progress in every field." He added that around 2.5 crore women across the state can travel free of cost in 74% of APSRTC buses, including Pallevelugu, Ultra Pallevelugu, City Ordinary, Express, and Metro Express services. The government will spend an estimated ₹1,970 crore annually on the scheme. To ensure smooth implementation, APSRTC is conducting special training for drivers and conductors on issuing "zero fare" tickets through updated TIMS software, and on courteous passenger handling during peak hours. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Outdoor Clothing | Designed to Perform. Built to Endure. Trek Kit India Shop Now Undo Women availing the scheme must present valid government-issued ID such as Aadhaar, voter ID, or ration card to confirm Andhra Pradesh residency. With 8,458 buses under the programme, the government hopes to not only ease daily commutes but also strengthen women's economic and social mobility. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes , messages , and quotes !

The Hindu
9 hours ago
- The Hindu
Free bus ride for women from today poses multiple challenges to APSRTC
The Andhra Pradesh government is all set to launch 'Stree Shakti', the free bus travel scheme for women that aims to enhance mobility and reduce transportation costs for lakhs of beneficiaries across the State, on Friday (August 15). The initiative, however, faces a bumpy road ahead in view of the financial strain it would put on the cash-strapped AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), the dire need for additional buses to meet an expected surge in ridership and the challenge of managing overcrowding during peak hours. Under this scheme, girls, women and transgenders will be allowed free travel in five categories of buses — Palle Velugu, Ultra Palle Velugu, City Ordinary, Metro Express and Express Services. The Public Transport Department which managed to improve its financial health over the years by devising innovative ways to shore up the revenues, is likely to face a heavy financial burden owing to the free bus travel scheme. The accumulated revenue losses of the APSRTC, which were ₹6,445 crore in 2019, came down to ₹3,275 crore in 2023 and to less than ₹2,000 crore now. 'Bank loans have been almost cleared with only an outstanding amount of ₹1,500 crore remaining to be paid,' says an official. Change in revenue sharing The scheme will also alter the revenue-sharing model. The APSRTC management has been paying 25% of its monthly revenue to the government as part of the revenue-sharing agreement reached at the time of the merger of its 51,488 employees with the government. The RTC employees were taken into the fold of the newly created Public Transport Department on January 1, 2020, and they receive their salaries directly from the government, a move that incurred an additional monthly expenditure of ₹300 crore to the exchequer. 'Now this practice will change as the government will fund the fee bus travel scheme,' the official adds. Issues like fund crunch, shortage of staff and infrastructure have prevented the State bus network from growing fast enough to cater to the ever-increasing volume of passengers, a fact that came in handy for private bus companies to deploy their services illegally even in routes earmarked for operation of the State buses. The new scheme would put an additional monthly burden of ₹166 crore on the State exchequer while annually, it would be around ₹2,000 crore. The government will have to shoulder the responsibility of making timely and adequate budgetary support for successfully running the scheme, say analysts. Handling the passenger surge which could overwhelm buses during peak hours is the biggest non-financial challenge the officials of the corporation foresee. In the wake of constraints in immediately increasing the fleet size, the officials feel that crowd-control would be a daunting task. The officials estimate that the current average occupancy ratio of 68% in the State-run buses, which already exceeds 100% during peak hours in the mornings and evenings, could hit 150% occupancy during peak hours after the launch of the scheme. This is bound to result in overcrowding and passenger discomfort, besides safety issues. Staff seeks more buses 'For the scheme to be successful, there is a pressing need to increase the number of buses by adding at least 3,000 additional vehicles to the fleet and recruiting 10,000 more employees. We have been asking this ever since the government announced the scheme,' says P. Damodara Rao, State president of the Andhra Pradesh Public Transport Department (earlier APSRTC) Employees' Union. Concerned that the anticipated overcrowding could strain existing infrastructure and equipment such as Ticket Issuing Machines (TIMS), the union leaders have been insisting that the authorities upgrade the TIM software to ensure efficient operations under the new scheme and to ensure operation of the buses in proportion to the passenger load during peak hours in high-density routes. They also say that it will not be possible to carry cargo parcels and postal bags in buses during peak hours, and the authorities should make alternative arrangements. Pitted against several odds, the State Transport Corporation operates a fleet of 11,500 buses, of which 2.500 are hired vehicles. The buses operate from 129 depots across the State with a daily volume of 40 lakh km, carrying 40 lakh passengers every day. These vehicles connect 14,123 villages on 1,423 routes in the State. It remains to be seen how the Stree Shakti scheme will shape the functioning of APSRTC in the days ahead.