Diwali bonanza: Metro-RTC pass cut to Rs 4k, daily pass to Rs 275 | Hyderabad News
Hyderabad: As a Diwali gift to commuters, the Telangana govt has slashed the monthly Metro-RTC combined travel pass fare from Rs 8,500 to Rs 4,000 and the daily pass from Rs 400 to Rs 275. The revised fares will come into effect on Sunday (Nov 8), state transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar announced on Friday.The combined pass can be used by commuters who travel on both Hyderabad Metro Rail and Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) buses.“The move is aimed at reducing commuting expenses and encouraging greater use of public transport, particularly among people who depend on both Metro trains and buses for their daily travel,” said the minister.Explaining the revised daily pass structure, he said: “Commuters will pay Rs 275, of which Rs 200 will be allocated towards Metro travel and Rs 75 towards RTC services. The pass will allow four single journeys a day.”Of the Rs 4,000 monthly pass fare, Rs 3,000 will be allocated towards Metro travel and Rs 1,000 towards RTC services. The pass will permit up to 50 single journeys on the Metro in a month. “However, there will be no restriction on the number of journeys commuters can make on RTC buses using the pass,” the minister said.He added that the govt had directed the organisations concerned to make the necessary arrangements to implement the revised fares from Sunday.The fare reduction comes just over a month after the govt launched the Metro-RTC common pass on Oct 2. Initially, the fares were fixed at Rs 400 for daily commuters and Rs 8,500 for monthly pass holders. The steep pricing had drawn criticism from regular public transport users, who argued that the combined passes cost considerably more than their usual commuting expenses and urged the govt to reconsider the rates.“This is a welcome move as it will make the combined pass more affordable and encourage more people to use public transport. Including RTC buses is a good decision, as most commuters make only two trips a day and are unlikely to travel throughout the day. However, bringing the monthly pass price down further to around Rs 2,800-Rs 3,000 would make it more attractive to regular commuters who use both services,” said Dheerendra Samineni, a public transport expert.
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