VIJAYAWADA: The RTC’s move to hand over charge of the online passenger reservation services (OPRS) of 32 bus stations to the online ticket booking firm www.abhibus.com has sparked a row.
The RTC management has also made a proposal to hand over the online ticketing system of some bus stations to another private company Redbus.in.
APSRTC employees have vehemently opposed the decision, saying that it encourages privatisation.
Although the proposal was mooted in November 2016 and put on hold as the result of a furore raised by workers, the RTC management has now issued a circular that management of the OPRS will be handed over to Abhibus.com and Redbus.in. Worker unions have called for protests across the entire state. Dharnas will be held at 123 bus depots.
Workers fear that handing over charge of the OPRS will affect the revenue of the RTC, as abhibus.com also sells tickets of private tour operators.
P. Damodhar, deputy general secretary of the Employees Union, said that the RTC, which was already facing stiff competition from private operators, will further lose revenue if this decision is implemented. APSRTC VC and MD M. Malakondaiah said that they had not handed over anything to Abhibus as yet.
He added that the company had submitted a proposal to the RTC in August 2016, with a strategy to improve the occupancy ratio of RTC buses; and that Abhibus had been associated with the RTC since 2014.
