TGSRTC conductor shortage hits Telangana bus services

People in the villages have been left in the lurch due to the conductor shortage

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) is currently facing a conductor shortage, forcing the agency to cancel trips worth 3.34 lakh kilometres in the last four months.

People in the villages have especially been left in the lurch due to the conductor shortage, according to a report by the Times of India. And while the buses are available, with no conductors, the distance travelled.

“TGSRTC is currently short of hundreds of conductors, resulting in buses remaining parked at depots despite demand for services,” a TGSRTC official told TOI.

He also said that the impact of the crunch is being felt in almost all the districts, particularly in tribal and remote areas where public transport is often the only affordable mode of travel. To reduce cancellations, depot managers have been asked to take on outsourcing employees on a contract basis.

The reduction in bus services has led to several commuters being dependent on autorickshaws and private jeeps for daily travel, even as the TGSRTC has urged people not to use private transport. However, the shortage of conductors has left people with no choice.

The issue was largely under control after TGSRTC reduced its fleet by around 2,000 buses in 2019 on the directions of the then Bharat Rashtra Samithi government.

The layoff left the corporation with surplus drivers and conductors, allowing it to manage operations without fresh recruitment for several years. However, that cushion has gradually disappeared as employees retired.

According to the report, 150 to 200 employees across different categories retire every month, steadily widening the manpower gap.