The Andhra Pradesh government isn’t planning to privatize the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), Transport Minister M. Ramprasad Reddy said. On Saturday,Reddy pointed out that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently held a review meeting to discuss plans for improving the public transport system.
Reddy mentioned successful rollout of the Stree Shakti scheme,calling it a social responsibility rather than a burden on APSRTC's finances. He stressed government’s plan to upgrade APSRTC depots through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model while ensuring support for APSRTC workers. "The government is now guiding APSRTC into a new growth phase," he said, looking back at the coalition's attempts to revive the corporation after a tough five years.
A key part of modernization plan is adding electric vehicles (EVs) to the public transport fleet. Reddy announced that APSRTC will launch 700 electric buses in the next two months,with infrastructure for EV services set to be ready in six depots by July. Plus, 300 electric buses are under Mahavas scheme,and procurement for another 500 is already done. The goal is to have 3,000 electric buses running across the state.
To boost connectivity, APSRTC will run 40 special buses between Vijayawada and the new Bhogapuram airport. The corporation is also getting ready to offer special bus services called “Godavari” for the upcoming Godavari Pushkaralu festival. Reddy noted that the new electric buses will come with modern amenities for passengers and will be rolled out across all service types,from Palle Velugu to Express services. This move is big step for APSRTC,enhancing public transport while supporting environmental goals in Andhra Pradesh .
