Buses off Hyderabad roads, autos, minivans extend turf to chip in

For instance, on the Hyderabad stretch of NH 65, which connects suburbs such as Lingampalli and Chandanagar with the city, drivers have divided the route into several territories of 10-15 km each and rarely venture into each other’s sections. A driver from Lingampalli, for instance, will not go beyond JNTU at Kukatpally, a distance of 12 km, for which they charge Rs 20 per person.

But with not many buses operating on this stretch as a result of the strike, the drivers are plying as far as Khairtabad, 25 km away.

Chandbasha Shaik, a minivan driver, explained: “Hundreds of people have no other means of travel but TSRTC city buses. Since there is a shortage of buses due to the strike, people are stranded. If we stick to our own ‘areas’, then many passengers would be stranded. So it has been mutually agreed upon to ply longer routes. We can make some extra money and passengers also get transport,”

The drivers are also mindful not to over-charge; the fare from Khairtabad to Chandanagar is Rs 50 person, and it costs Rs 62 in TSRTC Volvo and Rs 35 in Express buses.

Similarly, on all state and national highways, autos and minivans have extended their range up to 50 km each side. “By changing two or three minivans, one can easily reach Nalgonda or beyond from Hyderabad (a distance of over 100 km),” P Rajashekar, a driver, said.