Hyderabad:The common pass for bus and metro launched to make public transport in Hyderabad more convenient has received stark criticism from the public for pricing the monthly pass at Rs 8,500, which will be unaffordable for ordinary commuters.
The monthly pass, introduced jointly by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) and Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL), is valid for 30 days. It allows travel on Hyderabad Metro and TGSRTC city buses operating within the Outer Ring Road, except Pushpak services. They also launched a daily pass for Rs 400.
For many daily commuters, however, Rs 8,500 is a substantial monthly expense. This works out to be Rs 283 a day, which will be equivalent to 2.45 litres of petrol. This money will allow a person to travel at least 130 km on a 125cc bike.
Similarly, a passenger heading from Miyapur to LB Nagar, the ride with the most metro stations, costs Rs 69 for a one-way trip, and a two-way route Rs 138. A 31-day calculation for the back and forth trip gets calculated to Rs 4,278, half of the pass price. The regular bus ticket prices cannot accommodate the rest of the common pass price.
Speaking with Deccan Chronicle, Mohd. Abbas, an engineering student travelling through Parade Ground metro station, said, “The price of the monthly pass is too much for an ordinary citizen. I am a student and it is almost my monthly college fee. If I am already spending this much, buying separate bus tickets and occasional Metro tickets would be cheaper.”
The contrast becomes clearer when Hyderabad’s pass is compared with public transport systems in other major cities, where they get much more than what is being offered in Hyderabad.
Germany’s Deutschland ticket costs 63 euros (about Rs 6,800) a month, and provides unlimited travel across the country on local public transport, including buses, trams and regional trains. It is valid nationwide and can be cancelled monthly.
In Italy’s Rome, the monthly personal pass, also known as “Abbonamento Mensile Personale”, costs 35 euros (around `3,800) and provides unlimited travel within Rome for 30 days on 24 x 7 buses, 8 trams and 3 metro lines.
In Paris, an all-zone Navigo monthly pass costs 90.80 euros (around Rs 9,740). It covers Metro, RER, regular and night buses, trams, trains and other services across the Île-de-France network. The pass also includes travel to and from both the airports, Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Paris-Orly (ORY).
In Chicago, the 30-day CTA/Pace pass costs $75 (around Rs 7,200), and offers unlimited rides on CTA’s “L” metro services, and Pace bus services, including on-demand buses with a small percentage of surcharge.
Srijan Murthy, another passenger at the JBS bus stop, said, “I use buses for most of my travel, and Metro only occasionally. But even if I use the metro regularly, I do not see why I should pay for a combined pass when the price is this high.”
Netizens online also raised concerns over the high pricing models. A user on Reddit wrote “Even if you do this every day of the month it will be Rs 4,200. The pass makes no sense, unless you make multiple metro trips every day for 30 days. You’ll break-even only if you make four full length trips at least for 20 days and two full length trips for the remaining 10 days.”
Another user on X wrote “`8,500 a month for an everyday commuter is pure fantasy pricing.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
