Telangana Plans Four Terminals Around Hyderabad to Keep Long-Distance Buses Out
Telangana is working on four bus terminals on Hyderabad's outskirts to divert inter-state and long-distance buses, ease congestion and cut pollution.
The Telangana government is moving ahead with a plan to keep long-distance and inter-state buses out of Hyderabad's core, with four terminals proposed on the city's periphery. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said on Tuesday that work is under way on terminals at Gajulararam, Shamshabad, L.B. Nagar and Ghatkesar, and that land availability for the sites is being studied.
Roughly 100 acres are under consideration at Gajulararam, while a parcel of about 150 acres is being looked at near Shamshabad, the Minister said.
Under the proposed arrangement, buses arriving from neighbouring States such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, as well as services entering Hyderabad via the Outer Ring Road, would terminate at the terminal on the corresponding side of the city rather than proceeding into the inner city.
To complete the journey, the government is working on connecting these terminals to the city through RTC buses, Metro Rail and MMTS. Passengers on long-distance and inter-district services would be able to switch to these modes for the onward leg.
The plan also brings private operators into a terminal-based system. Prabhakar said private buses are currently parked indiscriminately at several locations, and their movement, especially at night, adds to congestion and pollution. The government is examining a model in which private buses would run from designated terminals and pay user charges for the facilities.
The terminals are envisaged with passenger waiting areas, parking and links to other public transport modes, and are to be developed with the city's future transport needs in mind.
The changes are being planned alongside the addition of 2,200 electric buses to Hyderabad's public transport fleet. Those buses would run on routes linking the terminals with different parts of the city.
According to the Minister, a terminal-based system would cut the number of long-distance buses entering Hyderabad while giving passengers alternatives to reach their destinations, easing traffic congestion and reducing vehicular pollution.