RTI for APSRTC — Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation Bus Service, Accident and Consumer Complaint Records

The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is one of the largest state-owned road transport undertakings in southern India. Established under the Road Transport Corporations Act, 1950, APSRTC serves the entire state of Andhra Pradesh — operating thousands of buses across coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, and the Amaravati capital region — and is headquartered at Vijayawada, the commercial hub of Andhra Pradesh. As a state public authority under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, APSRTC is legally bound to disclose information to citizens within 30 days of a valid request under Section 6.

Millions of people depend on APSRTC buses daily for work, education, pilgrimage, and inter-district travel across Andhra Pradesh. When service quality falls short — through route reductions, conductor overcharging, accident compensation delays, or concession pass refusals — citizens often have no clear channel to obtain documented answers. The RTI Act changes that. This guide explains what APSRTC must disclose, how to file an RTI application, and how to appeal to the Andhra Pradesh Information Commission (APIC) if APSRTC fails to respond.

APSRTC After the 2014 Bifurcation: An Important Clarification

A critical point for any citizen filing RTI with APSRTC is the post-bifurcation structure. When the state of Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated on 2 June 2014 under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, creating the new state of Telangana, the previously unified State Road Transport Corporation was divided into two entirely separate bodies:

• APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation) — headquartered at Vijayawada, serving all districts of Andhra Pradesh, and operating under the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
• TSRTC (Telangana State Road Transport Corporation) — headquartered at Hyderabad, serving all districts of Telangana, and operating under the Government of Telangana.

These two corporations are separate public authorities under the RTI Act and have no overlap of jurisdiction. APSRTC handles bus services on routes within Andhra Pradesh, and RTI applications about those services must be filed with the CPIO, APSRTC, Vijayawada. TSRTC handles bus services within Telangana and is a completely distinct body with its own SPIO and its own appeal path (to the Telangana State Information Commission). An RTI wrongly directed to TSRTC for an APSRTC matter — or vice versa — will not produce results. If you are a passenger or resident of Andhra Pradesh, the correct authority is always APSRTC.

APSRTC's Network: Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, and the Capital Region

APSRTC operates services across the length and breadth of Andhra Pradesh through a zonal and divisional structure. Its principal operational corridors include:

Coastal Andhra: The coastal districts from Visakhapatnam (Vizag) in the north through Eluru, Vijayawada, Guntur, Ongole, and Nellore in the south form APSRTC's busiest trunk routes. Express and super luxury services on these corridors carry the heaviest passenger loads, and disputes over frequency, overcrowding, and route rationalisation are common.

Rayalaseema: The four Rayalaseema districts — Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapur, and Chittoor — are served by a mix of ordinary, express, and Garuda Plus services. Inter-district connectivity within Rayalaseema, and connections to Bengaluru (particularly for Chittoor and Anantapur residents), are a significant part of APSRTC's mandate in this region.

Tirupati and Pilgrimage Routes: Tirupati, home to the Sri Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala, is among APSRTC's busiest terminals. APSRTC operates dedicated services to Tirumala and connecting services from Tirupati to other districts, managing exceptionally high daily volumes of pilgrimage traffic.

Amaravati Capital Region: With the development of Amaravati as the new state capital, APSRTC has been expanding services in the capital region connecting Vijayawada, Guntur, and Amaravati. City bus services in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, and new routes to emerging urban areas, are also part of APSRTC's expanding urban network.

APSRTC operates multiple service categories: ordinary, express, super express, Palle Velugu (rural connectivity), Garuda (sleeper-type), Indra (AC), Volvo AC, and Garuda Plus premium services. The fare structure varies by category, and RTI is particularly useful when passengers suspect they are being charged under the wrong tariff or when a route's sanctioned service category has been changed without public notice.

What RTI Can Help You Obtain from APSRTC

Bus Route and Service Frequency Data

Citizens who rely on specific APSRTC routes for daily commuting or inter-district travel are directly affected when routes are suspended, trips are reduced, or services are reclassified to higher-fare categories without public announcement. RTI can provide:

• The complete timetable for a specified route — scheduled departure and arrival times, number of daily trips, and the types of vehicles deployed
• Any orders issued in the last one year modifying, suspending, curtailing, or reclassifying service on the route, and the authority that issued them
• The current fare structure for the route under each service category operating it
• The number of complaints received about service inadequacy on the route and the action taken

Accident Compensation and Ex-Gratia Records

When an APSRTC bus is involved in an accident causing passenger injury or death, APSRTC is required to conduct an internal departmental enquiry and is also obligated to process compensation claims under applicable schemes. The YSR Bima scheme — a government-backed accident assistance scheme in Andhra Pradesh — provides financial assistance to families of persons who die in accidents involving state transport vehicles. RTI can give victims and their families access to:

• The certified copy of APSRTC's internal accident enquiry report, including the committee composition, findings on cause and culpability, and recommendations
• The FIR number and police station
• The status of any ex-gratia or compensation claim under the YSR Bima scheme or any other applicable APSRTC scheme — whether approved, rejected, or pending — along with the reasons for the current status and the name of the officer handling the claim
• The standard timeline for processing such claims and whether it has been met
• Any correspondence between APSRTC and the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) where the matter has been referred to court

This information is essential for building a strong MACT case, for contesting an unjustified rejection of ex-gratia, and for applying pressure on APSRTC to resolve long-pending claims.

Conductor Overcharging and Employee Misconduct Complaint Records

Passenger complaints about conductor overcharging, refusal to issue tickets, misbehaviour, and denial of concession fares are among the most common grievances against APSRTC. APSRTC has internal complaint mechanisms — at the depot level and through its consumer grievance cells — but these often fail to communicate outcomes to complainants. RTI can compel APSRTC to disclose:

• The action taken report (ATR) on a specific complaint, including whether a departmental inquiry was initiated, the findings, and the disciplinary action taken against the concerned conductor or driver
• Whether a complaint has been registered, forwarded to the relevant depot, and closed — and if closed, on what grounds
• The total number of overcharging and ticketing complaints received at a specified depot in a given period and the number resolved with action taken, which reveals systemic patterns in passenger grievance handling

When a conductor overcharges a passenger and APSRTC fails to act on the complaint, RTI creates a documented record that can support a complaint to the Andhra Pradesh Information Commission or the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

Concession Pass Records

APSRTC's concessional pass schemes — covering students, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and other notified categories — are a major public benefit. RTI can help applicants who face delays, incorrect rejections, or deficient concession terms:

• The current status of your pass application, including the specific reason for any delay or rejection
• The complete eligibility criteria and supporting documents required for the pass category you applied under
• The number of pass applications received at the relevant depot or division in a financial year and the number approved and pending — which establishes whether individual delays are systemic or targeted

Fleet Maintenance and Operational Data

APSRTC manages a large fleet spread across multiple zones and depots. Public interest researchers, journalists, and passengers in areas with poor service can use RTI to obtain:

• Depot-wise fleet strength, including the number of buses in active service and off-road due to breakdown or maintenance
• Total maintenance expenditure by vehicle category and maintenance type
• Number of breakdowns reported at a specified depot in a given period and the average repair time
• Annual zone-wise or corporation-wide accident statistics — total accidents, injury and fatality counts, number of compensation claims, and total compensation disbursed

How to File RTI with APSRTC

Step 1 — Identify the Right Office

APSRTC has a hierarchical structure: individual bus depots report to Divisional Controllers, who report to Zonal Managers, who report to APSRTC's corporate headquarters at Vijayawada. For most passenger-facing matters — overcharging complaints, pass applications, local route issues, and accident claims at the local level — file with the SPIO at the concerned Divisional Controller's office or at the corporate headquarters. For corporate-level data (annual statistics, financial records, major procurement tenders), file at the APSRTC headquarters, Vijayawada.

If you are unsure which office to approach, file at the APSRTC headquarters. Under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, an SPIO who receives an application that should more properly have been directed to another SPIO within the same public authority is obligated to transfer it within five days, and the transfer period is not counted against the 30-day response clock.

Step 2 — Draft Your Application

Use the sample application provided in this guide as a template. Frame each information request as a numbered, specific question. Include all relevant reference numbers — the route number, accident reference or FIR number, claim number, conductor badge number, complaint reference, or vehicle registration number. The more precisely you identify the records you want, the less room APSRTC has to respond with "information not available" or "please specify further."

Under Section 6(2) of the RTI Act, you are not required to give any reason for seeking information. Do not include justifications or explanations of your personal circumstances — simply state the information you need, cited to the relevant reference identifiers.

Step 3 — File Online or by Post

APSRTC is a state public authority in Andhra Pradesh. The online filing portal indicated for this guide is rtionline.gov.in (the central government's common RTI portal, which some state bodies also use for submissions). You may also file through the Andhra Pradesh government's RTI portal at rti.ap.gov.in, which accepts applications for Andhra Pradesh state public authorities including APSRTC.

For physical filing, submit the application by registered post or in person to the CPIO, APSRTC, APSRTC House, Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS), Vijayawada – 520 013, Andhra Pradesh. Enclose the ₹10 fee by Indian Postal Order (IPO) drawn in favour of "CPIO, APSRTC" or as directed on APSRTC's RTI notice. BPL cardholders are fully exempt from the fee — attach a copy of your BPL card.

Step 4 — Track and Follow Up

Retain your filing acknowledgement or registered post receipt. The CPIO must respond within 30 days of receipt of your application (Section 7(1), RTI Act 2005). If the matter involves life or liberty — for instance, where an accident victim needs urgent documentation for medical or legal proceedings — the deadline is 48 hours under the proviso to Section 7(1).

The Appeal Path for APSRTC RTI Matters

APSRTC is a state public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act. The entire appeal path lies within the Andhra Pradesh state system — the Central Information Commission (CIC) has no jurisdiction over APSRTC.

First Appeal — Section 19(1): If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days, or provides an incomplete, incorrect, or evasive reply, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) designated within APSRTC. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of the CPIO's decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is payable for the First Appeal. State the RTI application number, date of filing, information sought, and the nature of the deficiency.

Second Appeal — Section 19(3): If the FAA also fails to respond or gives an unsatisfactory decision, file a Second Appeal with the Andhra Pradesh Information Commission (APIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. No fee is payable for the Second Appeal. APIC is constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act for all Andhra Pradesh state public authorities, including APSRTC. APIC can direct APSRTC to furnish the information and, under Section 20 of the RTI Act, can impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on the CPIO personally for unjustified delay or refusal. APIC is headquartered in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.

Tips for an Effective APSRTC RTI Application

Quote every available reference number. Route numbers, vehicle registration numbers, accident claim references, conductor badge numbers, and complaint references all allow APSRTC to pinpoint the exact record. An RTI without these identifiers frequently produces a reply stating that the relevant record cannot be traced.

Ask for certified copies, not explanations. Instead of asking APSRTC to "explain why" a claim was delayed, ask for a certified copy of the claim file or the status sheet. Certified copies carry evidentiary value before the MACT, the consumer forum, and the Andhra Pradesh Information Commission.

Specify date ranges for statistical data. Open-ended requests for "all accident records" may be returned as too broad. Limiting the request to a specific financial year or a six-month window makes the query manageable and the response more reliable.

Use the bifurcation clarification if your matter crosses state lines. For inter-state APSRTC services — such as the Vijayawada–Bengaluru or Tirupati–Chennai routes — the APSRTC CPIO handles the entire APSRTC side of the operation. If the matter involves coordination with a Karnataka or Tamil Nadu state transport corporation, a separate RTI to the relevant STC may also be needed.

File promptly and count deadlines carefully. The 30-day window for the First Appeal begins on the date of the CPIO's decision or on the date the 30-day response period expires — whichever comes first. Missing this window does not extinguish your right to appeal, but you will need to explain the delay to the FAA. Prompt action keeps the timeline clean and your legal position strong.

APSRTC, as a fully state-funded public authority, serves millions of Andhra Pradesh residents across a wide and diverse geography — from the fishing communities of the Visakhapatnam coast to the pilgrims of Tirupati to the farmers of Rayalaseema. The RTI Act, 2005, entitles every one of these passengers and citizens to documented answers about APSRTC's operations. The Andhra Pradesh Information Commission (APIC), constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act, stands ready to enforce that right if APSRTC fails to respond.