Hyderabad Bus Stations See Festival Rush as TGSRTC Deploys Special Buses

Major bus stations across Hyderabad, including Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) and Jubilee Bus Station (JBS), witnessed a heavy passenger surge ahead of Raksha Bandhan and an extended holiday weekend as people left the city for their native places.

The passenger rush intensified on Thursday evening and was expected to continue through Friday, with thousands heading to various districts across Telangana and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Heavy crowds were also reported at major boarding points and junctions, including Uppal, LB Nagar, and Aramghar.

With Raksha Bandhan falling on Friday, travellers taking leave on Saturday were able to secure a four-day holiday before returning to Hyderabad on Sunday. Bus stations across the city experienced heightened movement during evening and night hours, and transport authorities anticipate another major wave of rush on Sunday as families return.

To manage the high demand, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) scheduled special bus operations from August 26 to 30. Special services were planned based on passenger demand on major routes connecting Hyderabad to destinations including Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Hanamkonda, Khammam, Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Godavarikhani, and Mancherial.

Officials stated that special teams were stationed at key hubs, including MGBS, JBS, Uppal, LB Nagar, and Aramghar, to monitor and control crowd flow. Bus services were also planned for dynamic redeployment during return journeys, allowing vehicles to shift from routes with lower passenger traffic to high-demand corridors.

Addressing travel costs, TGSRTC officials clarified that fare adjustments for the festive period applied exclusively to special buses, while ticket prices on regular scheduled services remained unchanged. The fare revision for special operations was implemented under Government Order No. 16, issued in 2003, which permits fare increases of up to 50 per cent on special festival services. Officials added that display boards were set up on special buses to clearly indicate the applicable fares to commuters.