Coronavirus: Buses to ply from Thursday in Andhra Pradesh, masks and Aarogya Setu app mandatory for passengers

After over 50 days, the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) will resume intra-state services from May 21 maintaining adequate safety measures as part of the coronavirus lockdown relaxation, a senior official of the RTC said on Wednesday.

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However, the passengers need to book their tickets online prior to their journey and wearing a mask is mandatory for those boarding the buses, APSRTC Vice Chairman and Managing Director M Pratap said. The services were suspended for nearly two months since the lockdown was announced on March 24.

"RTC will be resuming intra-state services from tomorrow (May 21).

City services in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada will continue to be suspended for some more time," he said, adding that RTC will ensure that buses reach their destinations before 7 PM everyday.

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According to him, sanitisers will be made available at all bus stations for the passengers and seats have also been modified to ensure that there is no physical contact between those travelling.

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Pratap said downloading of Aarogya Setu mobile app is mandatory for passengers to travel in the buses.

The RTC will initially run over 1,600 busses without a conductor being present in the vehicle, out of the fleet of 12,600, he added.

Pratap said the government has no plans to enhance fares.