Vijayawada: APSRTC passengers are expressing their objection to the usurpation of their luggage space in the dickey of the buses and its use instead for transportation of private cargo. As a result, passengers have to carry their luggage with them inside the bus, resulting in inconvenience.
APSRTC had launched its cargo service with dedicated vehicles as part of its efforts to explore new avenues to earn income.
This had received appreciation and people had started availing this service. However, later, the APSRTC started loading its huge packets of merchandise in the dickey of its long-distance route buses.
As per transport department norms, no bus of private travels, especially running long-distance, is permitted to load luggage other than those of the passengers. This means no merchandise is being permitted to be transported by them. In case any bus does so, it is a violation of vehicle permit rules and a fine of Rs 10,000 is being slapped on the bus operator or owner.
State transport officials often carry out raids on private travels’ buses, book cases and slap fines especially dealing with transport of merchandise not belonging to the passengers traveling in the buses.
But, in the case of buses being operated by the APSRTC, they are silent. They claim that since the corporation’s buses are owned by the state government, they would not inspect them or slap any fine.
Passengers say the APSRTC buses transport bulk quantities of vegetables and milk containers etc in the buses on a daily basis, and ask why no action is being initiated despite this being a violation of rule.
As huge quantums of cargo are being placed in the dickey as part of APSRTC cargo service, passengers are unable to keep their luggage. They have to keep their luggage with them during the journey. So they appealed to RTC to transport huge quantities of merchandise in dedicated vehicles.
An RTC official said, “We are trying to accommodate passengers’ luggage in dickeys to avoid any inconvenience to them.”
