Recently, a newspaper correspondent commuted on an RTC bus to understand the plight of daily commuters and the problems they face. Well, the said person boarded a bus in Nampally and went all the way till Kukatpally during peak hours. And to put it shortly, it was a ride she wished she had never taken.

The bus was full of people of all kinds – students, private, government employees, and the general public. Obviously, everyone was in a rush to reach their destination on time. But that was the biggest problem for the commuters. There wasn’t a day when they could catch a bus on time. In fact, they say the buses are so jam-packed that getting into them is next to impossible during rush hours. While most buses look dilapidated and dangerous driving due to dug roads, sharp u-turns, etc., is a matter of concern, the top issue is the late arrival of buses.

Another big issue is that TSRTC has cut down on the number of buses. And this is adding to the woes of daily commuters. The students complain that traveling to city outskirts to go to colleges on a daily basis is nothing less than hell as they invariably end up being late to classes and get punished for the same. They say despite waking early and reaching the bus stop on time, their parents get letters from the college administration. Also, female students and employees feel unsafe due to heavy rush where men and women have to get in together and get down together.

Many people complain that one has to wait for hours at times at certain bus stops before the bus arrives.