Hyderabad: Commuters in Hyderabad can now use a common pass to travel on city buses and the Metro rail, with the Telangana govt launching the long-awaited integrated ticketing facility on Friday. Speaking at the event, deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka said the new integrated pass — MeeTicket — will make travelling within the city seamless for lakhs of people who use TGSRTC and Hyderabad Metro Rail services every day.Currently, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) ferries around 30 lakh passengers a day within Greater Hyderabad limits, while Metro rail’s daily footfall across its three corridors is around 5 lakh.The common pass, which will be available at all Metro stations from Oct 3, will be offered in two categories: a one-day card for Rs 400 and a 30-day card for Rs 8,500. There is no specified cap on the number of journeys during the validity period, with the pass allowing travel on all city buses — except Pushpak — and Metro services.The card will attract a one-time refundable charge of Rs 100.“The govt has been working towards integrating different modes of public transport through technology and improving first-and-last-mile connectivity,” said Vikramarka at the launch. Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar said more transport services would eventually be brought onto a common digital platform. He said ministers too will travel using the pass from Begumpet Metro station at 10 am on Saturday, and subsequently take an RTC bus.“The govt also plans to integrate RTC, Metro and auto services through technology as part of its long-term public transport plans under Vision 2047. The focus would be on providing easier and faster public transport while also addressing the welfare of transport workers,” he added.Too steep?But even as one section of commuters hailed the convenience of a common pass, others raised concerns about its price.“This is 25% of the monthly income of an average Indian, which is around Rs 32,000. Imagine how many people can afford this. About 46% of Indian families earn less than Rs 15,000 a month,” posted Kalidasu Giridhar. Another X user, Venkata Ramana, shared a detailed breakdown of his monthly travel costs. “A one-way trip from Miyapur to LB Nagar costs Rs 69. If I take the Metro for the round trip for 30 days, it comes to Rs 4,140. Add an RTC monthly pass of around Rs 1,400, and it would be about Rs 5,540. But Rs 8,500 is exorbitant. Instead, I could spend Rs 5,000 on petrol for a two-wheeler and two people could travel for the entire month.”Raju S too made a similar observation on how the pass would increase his monthly expenses: “A daily round trip from Parade Ground to Raidurg costs Rs 104. For 22 working days, that comes to around Rs 2,200. Why should I pay Rs 8,500 for the monthly common pass?”When asked about it, TGSRTC managing director Y Nagireddy said the corporation’s share in the common ticket was limited to Rs 100 for the daily pass and Rs 1,500 for the monthly pass, with the remaining amount earmarked for Metro rail. TOI’s repeated attempts to reach Sarfaraz Ahmad, managing director of Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd, were unsuccessful.BOXAlong with the common pass, the govt also launched TGSRTC’s mobile ticketing platform, allowing passengers to book tickets online. They can now select their boarding point, destination and ticket type through the app and make a digital payment to book their ticket. A dynamic QR-coded ticket will be generated on the app and can be displayed on the phone for verification during the journey.The app will also offer a Rs 600 digital weekly bus pass, with unlimited travel on TGSRTC buses. Daily and monthly RTC bus passes will also be available through the app, allowing passengers to buy and renew them without visiting a ticket centre.
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