Hyderabad: Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Tuesday launched 60 electric buses at the Kukatpally depot and said the government would expand green public transport services by 2027.
The minister inaugurated the buses during a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation programme at Kukatpally. Kukatpally MLA Madhavaram Krishna Rao, MLC Naveen, RTC Managing Director Nagi Reddy and Medchal district collector Manu Choudary attended the event.
Ponnam Prabhakar said the government was promoting electric buses to reduce pollution levels in Hyderabad. He added that the state wanted to prevent Hyderabad from turning into a heavily polluted metro city.
According to the minister, Telangana currently operates 960 electric buses. Among them, 545 buses run within Hyderabad city limits. RTC also operates 580 intercity buses across different routes.
The minister said the government planned to introduce another 2,200 electric buses in Telangana under a central scheme.
Officials stated that operating 3,000 EV buses could reduce nearly 600 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Electric buses expansion targets cleaner transport
RTC currently operates around 10,000 buses across Telangana. Nearly 1,000 of them are electric vehicles aimed at reducing pollution and traffic congestion in urban areas.
Nearly 35 lakh passengers use RTC services daily in the twin cities. The minister said the Congress government introduced several reforms in RTC after coming to power, including new recruitments and induction of additional buses.
Ponnam Prabhakar said RTC officials were regularly discussing workers’ issues with depot and regional managers. He also announced that RTC would soon conduct union recognition elections.
The minister said women used nearly 310 crore tickets under the Mahalakshmi free travel scheme so far. He added that the government was encouraging women to become bus owners.
Responding to requests from local representatives, Ponnam Prabhakar announced a new RTC depot at KPHB. He directed officials to seek allotment of five acres from Housing Board authorities for expansion.
The minister said RTC would soon operate more EV services in Kukatpally as part of plans to develop the area into a pollution-free zone.
