Tirupati's Rs 2.35 Crore Double Decker Bus Trapped In Political Crossfire
The bus was launched on October 13, 2023 by the then YSRC-led Tirupati municipal corporation. Its introduction was initially proposed under the Smart City Mission.
TIRUPATI: Nearly three years after it was introduced as the state's first double decker AC city bus, Tirupati's `2.35 crore electric bus lies abandoned at the municipal dumping yard on the Karakambadi road.
Bought by one government as a showpiece project and left idle by another, the vehicle has become the centre of a political blame-game while public money remains locked in an unused asset.
The bus was launched on October 13, 2023 by the then YSRC-led Tirupati municipal corporation. Its introduction was initially proposed under the Smart City Mission. As the proposal did not meet the scheme's norms, the corporation purchased it for Rs 2.35 crore using its general funds collected through taxes and other civic revenues.
The project soon exposed serious planning lapses. To make way for the oversized vehicle, more than 1,000 tree branches had been pruned across the city, drawing criticism over the loss of shade for pedestrians and roadside vendors. Even then, the bus continued to face operational problems.
The bus was introduced on limited routes with a Rs 50 day-pass but failed to attract enough passengers. Officials later found it unsuitable for Tirupati's roads, while registration issues delayed its regular operation. The service was eventually discontinued.
After the present government assumed office, the vehicle was left unattended at the municipal dumping yard. During a recent review meeting chaired by Tirupati MLA Arani Srinivasulu, officials said attempts to hand over the bus free of cost to the zoo park, TTD or the VMC had failed. They also said the manufacturer was unwilling to take it back. Restoring the vehicle to functional mode would require several lakh rupees.
An earlier proposal to transfer it to APSRTC was also ruled out because existing rules do not permit such a move. The government simply looked the other way.
While the initial blame falls on the YSRC government for launching an unviable project, public frustration is now turning towards the Naidu-led government. In the last over two years, it neither revived the bus service nor found an alternative use for the vehicle.
"The previous government spent crores. The present government has done nothing. Ultimately, taxpayers suffer the loss,” noted activist P Janaki, a resident of Korlagunta.
Residents say the bus could be shifted to another city with wider roads, used for tourism, auctioned to recover part of the investment or refurbished for government or tourism-related events instead of it being left idle.
"Every time images of the abandoned bus appear on social media, they are a reminder of the previous government's failure. But blaming the past will not help. Instead of proving who was wrong, the focus should be on finding a practical solution and recovering at least a part of the investment", said K Venkataramana Reddy, a retired government employee.
