APSRTC Staff Escalate Protest Against E-Bus Privatization, Petitions Flood CM's Office

Thousands of Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) employees are today delivering signed memorandums to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, protesting the state government's plan to bring electric buses into public transport using private operators. This strong opposition, led by the APSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC), marks a major escalation in the standoff over what workers fear is a move towards privatizing the state-owned bus service. The core of the dispute lies in the government's adoption of the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model for e-buses, which the JAC conveners, Y. Srinivasa Rao and Palisetti Damodara Rao, argue will gradually hand over the entire electric bus network to private hands by 2029-2030. While the government, through Special Chief Secretary M.T. Krishna Babu, insists there's no privatization and APSRTC assets remain protected, promising no job losses, the unions demand that all new electric buses be procured and operated directly by the corporation and its staff. This comes as the 'Stree Shakti' free travel scheme has dramatically increased passenger demand, pushing unions to also call for immediate recruitment to fill around 15,000 vacant posts and strengthen APSRTC services. With today's widespread submission of petitions, all eyes are now on the Andhra Pradesh government's response. The APSRTC JAC State Committee is set to meet in Vijayawada on July 30 to discuss the government's reaction and chart the 'third phase' of their agitation, hinting at more intense protests if their demands for a publicly-operated e-bus fleet are not met. This situation highlights a growing tension between modernizing public transport through electric vehicles and protecting the interests of a large public sector workforce.