Diesel price hike forces RTC to revise fares

HYDERABAD: Travelling by RTC buses will be a little more costlier from Saturday for the corporation has increased fares to offset additional burden caused by the recent fuel price hike.The total percentage of basic fare increase is about 9.52 per cent as against the diesel price hike of 24.55 per cent. Though the additional impact on account of HS Diesel is Rs 744 crore, the APSRTC’s revised fares will get it only Rs 538 crore.Announcing the hike at a press conference here Thursday, RTC vice-chairman and managing director B Prasad Rao said the revised fares will come into effect from early Saturday.While Pallevelugu fares have been increased from 46 paise to 50, which is about 6.09 per cent, Express service fares have been hiked to 62 paise from 54, which comes to about 14.81 per cent. Similarly, for Deluxe services, the fares have been increased by 10 paise or 16.67 per cent. The super luxury fares have been increased from 70 paise to 82 paise and the Garuda services from Rs 1.25 to Rs 1.40. The Ghat service fares also been increased from Rs 1.08 to Rs 1.24.For the city ordinary, metro express, metro deluxe and mofussil services, the fare hike will be Rs 2 per stage or 10 km. However, the corporation has ensured that there is no change in the minimum fare of Pallevelugu, Express, Deluxe, Super Luxury and Garuda services.For Pallevelugu and ordinary services, there’s no fare hike for the first 20 km. Fares up to 10 km in all types of city services also remain the same. Similarly, Sheethal AC bus fares have not been revised. For passengers travelling from 20 km to 40 km distance in ordinary services, the fare increase is Rs 1.The APSRTC has no alternative but to hike the fares as diesel rates were revised thrice between February, 2010 and June, 2011.