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CHAPTER-III

PROFILE OF APSRTC

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The road way net work of the state of Andhra Pradesh covers an

overall span of 91,313 mile or 146,954 km. The state public works department

has the responsibility of looking after the roadway transportation system of the

state of Andhra Pradesh. The road transportation net work of Andhra Pradesh

is made up of the following:

1. National highways (covering 2,949 km or 1,832 miles)

2. State highways(spanning 42511 km or 26415 miles)

3. District Roads (covering 101,484 km or 63,059 miles

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PROFILE OF APSRTC

A) Brief History of Road Transport in the India:

Transport improves access to markets, promotes the growth of

productivity, movement of passengers and employment. It is a prime mover of

development. Roadways and Railways are the two most important inland

transport services of India and together they carry 95% of domestic and

freight traffic. The Road Transport Corporation Act1950 is an act to provide for

the incorporation and regulation of road Transport Corporation. It was passed

in 1950 as central legislation to provide for the unification of the industry under

Government monopoly and to provide road transport services with the

objectives of socio-economic development on a planned basis.

India is rightly termed as sub-continent for its diversity and

heterogeneity. The people of our country with variety of faiths, philosophies

and ideologies make our country a colorful nation. Indian Railways are

extensive but can’t provide necessary links between the villages and villages

to towns and cities. Road Transportation is popular, familiar, cheaper and

important transportation system for transporting the passengers and goals.

Road Transportation system is only the single powerful factor on which the

economic, social and political activities of a nation depend. Prior to 1930

Indian Railways were in the hands of different companies of Britishers and

main offices and board members were in England. The main objectives of

those companies was profit making.

Road Transport system is the most popular medium of transport in

India. In fact, traveling in various parts of India is very easy, if you are aware

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about the transportation facilities offered by State Road Transport

Corporations including undertakings or institutions authorized by the Ministry

of Transportation, Government of India or by the State Government

authorities. All the Government authorized transport organizations have their

own operational style and they try their best to provide has free services to

public. Almost all the Indian states have their own State Road Transport

Corporation, providing transport facility within the state and the neighboring

states. Apart from the public transport corporations, private operators also

play a major role in fulfilling the needs of the public. Some of the State

Transport Corporations offer city bus services provide comfortable, affordable

and on-time service to the public.

Public Transport is an important part of the nation’s economy. Since

the economic liberalization of the 1990’s, development of infrastructure within

the country has progressed at a rapid pace, and today there is a wide variety

of modes of transport by land, water and air. However, the relatively low GDP

of India has meant that access to these modes of transport has not been

uniform.

In the interim however, public transport still remains the primary mode

of transport for most of the population, and Indian public transport systems

are among the most heavily utilized in the world. India’s rail network is the

longest and fourth most heavily used system in the world transporting over 6

billion passengers and over 350 million tons of freight annually.

Despite ongoing improvements in the sector several aspects of the

transport sector are still riddled with problems due to outdated infrastructure,

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lack of investment, corruption and a burgeoning population. The demand for

transport infrastructure and services has been raising by around 10% a year it

the current infrastructure being unable to meet these growing demands.

Nizam Guaranteed State Railways (NGSR): The NGSR was also under

the British company during 1930 i.e. three years before the expiry of the

company’s contract Sir Akbar Haidari the then Finance Minister of Nizam

Government suggested to take over the Railways from the clutches of the

company and provide better transport facility to the passengers. The Nizam

Government considered the suggestion and consequently Nizam State

Railways came into existence.

Nizam State Railways (NSR): SR came into existence in 1932. The

NSR was providing better and cheaper transport facility for long distance

passengers. But it could not provide link between villages and towns and

towns and towns and cities and vice versa. The passengers after getting

down from the trains had to travel by Private Services and Lorries. Sir Akbar

Haidari had made a survey and recognized that the need of plying the buses

to link them to the rural areas with towns and cities and put forth another

suggestion to this effect to the Nizam Government which was also accepted.

The Nizam Government imported 27 Albion petrol buses from England.

The capacity of each bus was 25 seats. Out of 27 buses were allotted to

Hyderabad, 10 to Narkedpally and reaming 7 to Kazipet. The Nizam

Government issued a press notification in times of India inviting applications

from the eligible candidates for the posts of drivers, conductors and

mechanics. After the office of the Railway audit, candidates were given

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appointments. Punctuality and promptness were the major attributes of the

bus crew in those days that people used to correct their watches by seeing

the plying of the buses. The capital investment for these buses was 3.93

Lakhs. The total number of employees was 166. The first bus was piled on the

route from Kachiguda to Gulzar House and the first Depot established was

Kachiguda.

Buses are an important means of Public Transport in India. Particularly

in the countryside and remote areas where the rail network cannot be

accessed and airline operations are few or non-existent. Due to this social

significance, public bus transport is predominantly owned and operated by

public agencies, and most state governments operate bus services through a

State Road Transport Corporation. These Corporations, introduced in the

1960s and 1970s, have proven extremely useful in connecting villages and

towns across the country.

Buses take up over 90% of transport in Indian cities, and serve as a

cheap and convenient mode of transportation for all classes of society.

Services are mostly run by state government owned transport corporations.

However, after the economic liberalization, many state transport corporations

have introduced various facilities like low flower buses for the disabled and

air-conditioned buses to attract private car owners to help decongest roads.

Bengaluru was the first city in India to introduce VOLVO B7RLE intra-city

buses in India in January 2006.

The country has one of the world’s largest Railway and Roadway

network transporting millions of people every year. However, a vast section of

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the country’s transportation network remains under developed. New initiatives

like Bus Rapid transit (BRT) system and air conditioned buses have been

taken by the various state governments to improve the bus public transport

system in cities. Buses rapid transit systems already exist Pune, Delhi and

Ahmadabad with new ones coming up in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.

High capacity buses can be found in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Nagpur

and Chennai.

b) Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation: A Profile

The A.P.S.R.T.C is the second largest public sector transport

undertaking in the country. Before independence, passenger transport existed

in private sector in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, and in the

public sector in Telangana region. In the princely state of Hyderabad, 16

Governments had taken over the responsibility of providing both Rail and

Road Transport. Passenger Road Transport was also provided by Nizam

State Railway to connect its stations to their hinterlands. In course of time, a

separate corporation was set up to handle Road Transport was nationalized in

phases and the APSRTC extended it services to all districts.

APSRTC is the state owned Road Transport Corporation in the

southern Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. It is acknowledged as the single

corporation having the largest fleet buses in the world. This has been certified

by the Guinness world records for being the largest bus operator in the world.

Initially the city buses very primarily called ordinary buses with green and dark

green shades. In the year 1994 a new kind of buses with dark blue and white

colour scheme called the metro liners were introduced in Hyderabad similar

kind were introduced in Visakhapatnam under the name of city liners these

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were instant hit but the passengers had to pay higher for the services which

had a few stops. APSRTC then introduced metro express buses whose

charges were in between that of the ordinary and the metro liners.

In the year 2002 when the national games were held in the city of

Hyderabad the APSRTC complimented the Hyderabad’s successful

organization by providing new yellow colored buses for transporting the

participants/ organizers between the venues and places of stay. These buses

were named Veera which happened to be the games mascot for the 2002

national games. Veera is based on Ongle bull. Then came few AC buses

called Seethalahamsa’s but the city regions got a big boost with the coverage

of urban transportation under the JNNURM scheme in which the union

government funds the purchase of buses to be for improving urban transport.

APSRTC has got more than 2000 buses sanctioned under this scheme. Most

of the buses were sanctioned to Hyderabad region. From the year2009 end

the JNNURM metro express with a distinct blue and white color scheme

having scrolling electronic display boards are prominently seen on the roads

of twin cities. In addition there are few low floor AC Volvo buses also under

the JNNURM playing in the city. APSRTC has also introduced CNG buses in

some cities notably in Vijayawada.

APSRTC covered approximately 7 million kms. And carry about 126

million passengers to their destinations every day. An APSRTC bus connects

all major towns and cities in Andhra Pradesh. Pallevelugu bus operates in the

rural area of A.P. For twins cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad APSRTC

operates Metro deluxe coaches and metro express city bus services. They

were supplemented with few double-decker buses in the same color scheme.

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But in the year 2003 the corporation has decided to withdraw double-decker

buses because of the operational difficulties. The color scheme of the ordinary

city buses has been changed to white and orange gradually from the year

2002.

The entire network is under the administrative control of 23 regional

managers in zones. Zonal head quarters are at Hyderabad. During these 42

years of dedicated service to the traveling public, it has registered a

phenomenal growth in that, it now occupies a prime position among the state

transport undertakings in the country with 22,289 buses and 1, 21,558

employees .It has a network of passenger road transport services operating

from 210 depots, under the administrative control of 23 regions and 7 zones.

The percentage of nationalization stands at 95%. It fact every citizen is a

shareholder in the Corporation.

The total bus stations in the state are 773 and 1881 bus shelters are

there through the state. At present all 210 depots are computerized for the

benefit of passengers and smooth administration. The Corporation’s buses

cover 82.40 lakhs kms, and carry 147.84 lakhs people to their designations

every day. They connect 24,336 villages to all major towns and cities in A.P

which constitutes 95% of road transport. APSRTC operates to the states like

Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha and Chattisgarh.

Vision: APSRTC is committed to provide consistently high quality of services

and to continuously improve the services through a process of teamwork for

the utmost satisfaction of the passengers and to attain a position of pre-

eminence in the bus transport sector.

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Mission: Efficient, economic, coordinated& adequate passenger road

transport services.

Objectives of APSRTC: The APSRTC is to offer safe, clean, comfortable,

punctual and courteous commuting services at lowest possible fare. It also

offers supports in terms of employee satisfaction by financial and other support.

APSRTC strive towards constant performance and growth to attain reputation &

respect in the society. As per the need and demand of passengers, the

APSRTC is introduced and launched latest types of coaches. Vennela Ac

Sleeper, Garuda Plus, Garuda A.C Coach (Inter-City), Indra, Meghdoot A.C,

Super Luxury Coach (Inter-City),Mini Super Luxury Coach for Tirumalaghat

road, Sapthagiri Express for Tirumalaghat road, Deluxe Coach (Inter-City),

Express Coach (Inter-City), Pallevelugu Rural Bus, Metro Deluxe Coaches and

Metro-Express.

Quality of service: The Corporation is providing quality of service by

monitoring the relevant parameters like cleanliness, punctuality, reliability,

timings boards, and destination boards and up keep of business at various

levels.

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Safety Awards:

Award for the Road Safety Trophy for the year 1996-97 and 1997-98 by

ASRTU.

Road Safety Award by Transport Development Council, New Delhi 1987-

88.

National Trophy for Road safety with best performance in Areas.

Road Safety Award for the year 1996-97 given by the Chartered Institute

of Transport, Great Britain.

Functional Set Up: After the formation of Andhra Pradesh and the corporation,

the need for decentralization was keenly felt in order to progressively realize the

objectives laid down for this corporation in the act. The head quarter of

A.P.S.R.T.C. has been located in the state capital, Hyderabad and its units

spread over in Andhra Pradesh. The divisional set up was consequently

introduced in 1959-60. Nationalization of Road Transport was extended to the

districts of Krishna, Guntur, and West Godavari in between 1959 and 1961.

Along with deluxe bus services, express services were introduces in addition to

passenger services. The night express services were also started in 1963. A

departmental training school and regional workshop were also started at

Vijayawada for mechanical and operating efficiency. The Depot managers were

appointed in the Depots instead of Supervisor-in-charge, for effective control of

operations due to administrative set up in 1965. In 1975, Tirumala Tirupata

Devasthanam’s buses were taken over by A.P.S.R.T.C. and new bus stations

were constructed at Tirupathi and Tirumala.

The entire Corporation has been divided into seven zones with

headquarters at Hyderabad, Greater Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Cuddapah,

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Nellore, Vijayawada and Vizianagaram. Executive directors have been posted

to head these zones each one covering 3 to 4 revenue districts. These

Executive Directors have been delegated with vast powers required in the

operation of bus services and their maintenance. They are made responsible

for effecting cost controls in all key areas of expenditure, besides taking steps

to increase revenue.

Each revenue district has been made a region of A.P.S.R.T.C headed

by a Regional Manager in the rank of head of the department. The Regional

Manager is expected to concentrate mainly on operations, with the jurisdiction

confined to the extent of a revenue district. Organizational structure of

corporate office and zonal office, growth, operational performance, fleet and

maintenance, total number of vehicles and schedules are presented in

separate tables and charts.

Growth of APSRTC:

The APSRTC has been maintaining its supremacy in the passenger

road transport sector not only in India but also in other parts of the world .the

corporation has entered the Limca book of world records as the largest

passenger bus transport organization in the world. In tune with the policy of the

state government to provide an efficient adequate economical and properly

coordinated mass transport system in Andhra Pradesh, about 95 percent of the

state carriage sector has been nationalized and brought under the operational

ambit of the Andhra Pradesh state Road Transport Corporation. The growth of

APSRTC during the study period was given in Table 3.1

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Table 3.1 Growth of APSRTC from2003-04 to -2010-11

Year Zones Regions Depots No. of routes

Bus stations

Bus shelters

Fleet

2003-04 6 23 212 8192 758 1879 19609

2004-05 6 23 212 8192 763 1880 19407

2005-06 6 23 212 7641 766 1880 19618

2006-07 6 23 203 7363 766 1880 19987

2007-08 7 23 202 7551 765 1880 20704

2008-09 7 23 202 7701 767 1880 21606

2009-10 7 23 202 7954 767 1880 22265

2010-11 7 23 210 7983 773 1881 22216

Source: Compiled and Tabulated from the Annual Admin Reports of APSRTC

Chart-1: Growth of APSRTC

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Performance of APSRTC (Operational, Fleet and Maintenance)

The operational performance of APSRTC during the study period was

shown in Table 3.2. It is observed from the table that No. of routes has

fluctuated over the period and decreased from 8192 in 2003-04 to 8015 in

2011-12. As against this the routes of kilometers has decreased from 226

crores to 142 crores. It is good sign that the number of passengers carried

has increased from 111 crores in 2003-04 to 137 crores in 2011-12.

Table-3.2: Operational Performance of APSRTC

Year No. of Routes

Routes

of km crs

No.of

Passengers carried (in

lakhs)

2003-04 8192 226.65 111.31

2004-05 8192 232.50 117.12

2005-06 7641 238.08 117.47

2006-07 7363 244.73 126.29

2007-08 7551 253.47 130.81

2008-09 7701 267.49 140.02

2009-10 7954 277.16 134.07

2010-11 7983 289.58 127.09

2011-12 8015 142.64 137.09

Source: Compiled and Tabulated from the Annual Administration Reports of APSRTC

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Chart -2: Operational Performance

The fleet performance of APSRTC was depicted in Table 3.3. It is

observed from the table that the vehicle utilization in kilometers almost

constant during the study period, hence the fleet utilization also same i, e, 99

percent. As a result the occupancy ratios have increased nearly 20 percent. It

is a known fact that to improve occupancy ratio vehicle utilization should be

increased. It is understood that at present the fleet utilization of APSRTC is

up to the mark or progressive.

Table-3.3: Fleet performance of APSRTC Year Vehicle

Utilization (Kilometer)

Fleet Utilization(%)

Occupancy Ration (%)

2003-04 326 99.28 60 2004-05 332 99.42 62 2005-06 335 99.19 65 2006-07 347 99.32 68 2007-08 352 99.43 70 2008-09 360 99.52 72 2009-10 357 99.58 69 2010-11 364 99.45 67 2011-12 353 99.37 71

Source: Compiled and Tabulated from the Annual Administration Reports of APSRTC

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The maintenance performance of APSRTC was also exhibited in Table

3.4. It is interesting to note that the performance of APSRTC in terms of Kmpl

is fluctuating from 289 crores to 142 crores during the study period. A small

increase in the average tyre per kilometers is observed during 2003-04 to

2011-12.On the other the rate of break downs per 10,000 kms has abnormally

decreased from 0.13 to 0.09 which is a good sign APSRTC maintains it

vehicles in proper condition from time to time. The total number of vehicles

and total number of schedules either owned by corporations or hired by

outsiders are given in Table 3.5, 3.6 respectively.

Table-3.4: Maintenance of Performance of APSRTC

Year Kmpl (Kilometers)crs.

Average Tyre

(Kilometers)

Rate of Brake downs (per 10,000 kms)

2003-04 226.65 1.66 0.13

2004-05 232.50 1.78 0.12

2005-06 238.08 1.85 0.13

2006-07 244.73 1.82 0.13

2007-08 253.47 1.77 0.12

2008-09 267.49 1.68 0.09

2009-10 277.16 1.69 0.08

2010-11 289.58 1.68 0.10

2011-12 142.64 1.71 0.09

Source: Compiled and Tabulated from the Annual Administration Reports of APSRTC

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Table-3.5: Total Number of Vehicles in APSRTC during 2004-05 to 2011-12

Years No. of Vehicles Hold

RTC Hired Total

2004-05 17920 1689 19609

2005-06 17659 1764 19423

2006-07 18132 1486 19618

2007-08 17391 2596 19987

2008-09 17285 3419 20704

2009-10 17504 4102 21606

2010-11 18242 4023 22265

2011-12

18297 3992 22289

Source: Compiled and Tabulated from the Annual Administration Reports of APSRTC

Chart-3: No of Vehicles (hired and owned)

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Table-3.6: Total Number of Schedules in APSRTC during 2004-05 to 2011-12

Years No. of Schedules

RTC Hired Total

2004-05 16660 1693 18353

2005-06 16504 1764 182268

2006-07 16911 1499 18410

2007-08 16197 2596 18793

2008-09 16170 3419 19589

2009-10 16315 4102 20417

2010-11 16949 4023 20972

2011-12

16964 3992 20956

Source; Compiled and Tabulated from the Annual Administration Reports of APSRTC

Chart -4: No. of Schedules

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APSRTC offers best bus transport services with highly qualified bus

travel services with the continuous improvement in the services with the help

of APSRTC staff and team who are strive to working towards most of the bus

traveller’s satisfaction from the APSRTC transport services.

APSRTC has started its operations in year 1932 with the help of some

27 buses and 166 employees under APSRTC. Later on APSRTC has

increased the number of buses to travel under its shed from 27 to 20474

buses operating from more than 700 bus stations and bus depots. The

APSRT Corporation buses covers more than 75 lakhs kilometers and carries

more than 1.5 lakh passengers to and from small villages to small towns on

Andhra Pradesh.

There are more than 20 regional managers and 7 zones with

APSRTC’s respective zonal headquarters located in Hyderabad, capital of

Andhra Pradesh. Under the Road Transport Act, 1950, APSRTC has changed

its name from NSR-RTD to APSRTC which stands from Andhra Pradesh

State Road Transport Corporation.

Operations: The network connects cities, towns and villages in the state. every

town has a bus depot, which have administration to plan and oversee the

operations. It operates in the cities of Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Vijayawada,

Visakhapatnam, Warangal, Tirupathi. It also operates to the neighboring

states as per the agreement reached with the respective state bus

corporations of Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Puducherry, Maharashtra, Odisha ,

Chattisgarh and Goa. Apart from the city services there are different district

services operated by the APSRTC. Different type of intercity, district, and

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village services like Pallevelugu, Express, Deluxe, Super Luxury, Meghdoot,

Garuda, Sapthagiri and Indra. It serves about 14 million passengers every

day, equal to the number of passengers ferried by Indian Railways.

Social obligations: In tune with the public demand, the APSRTC is operating

the following types of buses catering to various sections of the society.

Air conditioned sleeper coach, air conditioned coach, luxury coaches

and express buses for intercity commuters.

Village link services connecting villages to the nearest mandal/

revenue headquarters/towns.

Graamani services to cater to the needs of peripheral areas of towns.

Rythu Bazar services for transporting milk, vegetables, etc., to the

nearest Rythu Bazars from the villages.

City services-metro liner, metro express and ordinary buses to cater

to the needs of urban commuters.

Ordinary buses for Intra-district and Inter-district operations.

It also provides concessions / free travel facilities extended to various

sections of society.

1. Free bus passes to all the students below 12 years of age to travel

from the residence to school and back.

2. Free bus pass to girl students studying up to class x to travel from the

residence to school and back.

3. Slab rated quarterly route bus pass to the students studying in

colleges

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4. Located in cities, towns for a minimum travel of 4 KMs, and a

maximum of 22 kms.

5. Slab rated monthly route bus pass to the students above 12 years

and studying in high schools and colleges of rural areas, to a

maximum distance of 20 kms and 35 kms. Respectively.

6. Free bus pass to the physically handicapped, mentally retarded,

blind, deaf and dumb persons in cities.

7. Free bus pass to the mentally retarded, blind, dumb and deaf

person’s rural areas and 50% concession on fare for their escorts

and 50% concession normal fare to the physically handicapped

persons. slab rated general bus ticket passes are issued in 3

categories viz.,

8. Ordinary, metro express and metro liner validating the holders of the

passes to perform unrestricted journeys by the service applicable for

which it is valid.

9. Greater Hyderabad passes in twin cities, "KRISHNAVENI

DARSHAN" in Vijayawada and "VISAKA DARSHAN" in

Visakhapatnam cities is issued to perform unrestricted travel by

city/suburban buses operating in that city in addition to avail the

facility by district ordinary buses up to the destination and vice versa

for which the ticket is purchased.

10. Free bus pass to the freedom fighters of A>P> who crossed 65 years

of age and receiving pension either from the government of A.P. or

Government of india.

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11. Monthly season tickets are issued to the regular commuters like office

goers, students, businessmen etc., in rural area up to a maximum

distance of 100 kms. (20 stages). These passes are two types viz.,

ordinary & express monthly season tickets.

12. Special general bus tickets in cities / towns to the students who are

studying job oriented courses.

13. Free bus travel facility to the accredited journalists within twin cities

and Rangareddy district and for other journalists based on eligibility at

2/3 concession on normal fare.

Organization Structure of APSRTC

Organization structure refers to the way in which organizations activities

are divided, organized and coordinated. It divides the task of the whole

organization into manageable sub tasks and allocates then to organizational

units that are held responsible for their completion, organization structure also

ensures that all the different sub tasks are coordinated and controlled in a way

that results in the organization achieving what it has to achieve. The structure is

not only concerned will that is in place to facilitate achieving goals and

objectives, but also the mechanisms or process for doing so. The formal

structure of an organization is two dimensional-horizontal and vertical. The

horizontal dimension depicts differentiation of the organizational job into

different departments. The vertical dimension refers to the hierarchy of the

authority relationship with a number of levels from top to bottom. Authority flows

down wards along these levels.

In a modern transport organization, a large number of people are

employed and a variety of material is used. Machinery and processes are

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complicated and vehicles are service and repaired in multiple lines. The

managerial functions are highly specialized .A sound organizational structure

and effective co-ordination is therefore essential in a transport organization. The

organizational structure of the APSRTC underwent several changes over since

its inception in 1958 until 1965 an individual, below the cadre of an officer was

designated as Depot Supervisor in-charge, and was kept at the assist of affairs

of the Depot. He possessed few managerial skills and the quality of

administration was found to be mediocre.

Consequently, the depot setup was introduced in 1965 by upgrading and

re-designating the post of Depot Supervisor in-charge as Depot Manager.

Persons with technical knowledge and/administrative skills were used to be

appointed as Depot Managers. The task of Depot Managers became more

challenges with the increase in the size of the depots consequent to expansion

in the operational area of the corporation. Since 1965 the corporation has

adopted a three-tier organization structure viz, Head quarter, Divisions and

Depots. This structure was continued until 1978.However, major organizational

changes were effected that year (1978) which resulted in creation of an

additional level called the ‘region’. A number of factors have contributed for the

reorganization of the administrative setup. Firstly, the division which was

envisaged as a unit drawing functional assistance wherever necessary from the

head office was not able to derive the required assistance and guidance from

that office due to too many units looking for functional assistance and guidance

and also due to the geographical location of various divisions at far flung

places. Further, the heads of the departments at the head office were not able

to divisions due to their extensive operational jurisdiction. Another important

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reason is that the divisional managers under the existing organization structure

were over burdened with too many responsibilities. They had been discharging

multifarious functions such as public relations, recruitment, training, transfers,

materials management, financial management, etc., without much professional

help and assistance from the functionaries concerned. Because of this the

divisional manager had been bogged down with the day-to-day routine

administrative problems not getting enough time to devote for important aspects

of line management.

Having realized the complexities of administration under the existing

organization structure. The APSRTC appointed a sub-committee with

P.Narasinga Rao as chairman to suggest suitable organizational structure.

The committee recommended a quadric-tier administrative set up with head

quarters at the apex level, zonal offices and regional offices at the second and

third levels respectively. The depots, which are considered as the base of

operations, are at the fourth level. The corporation duly accepted the

recommendations of the sub-committee and the regional setup was started

from Jan 1978.

The administrative setup suggested by P.Narasinga Rao committee

had accepted by the corporation in 1978 continued until 1994.Enormous

growth of manpower and fleet, delegation of powers to managerial cadres at

middle and lower levels and decentralization of authority are some of the

development that took place during the 16-year period, which prompted the

corporate board to recognize the administrative setup once again in

1994.After a series of exercises, the Corporate Board favored to continue the

quadric-tier organization structure with minor alterations. While keeping the

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head quarters at the apex level intact, the corporation was divided into seven

zones, which formed the second level and regions and depots at the third and

fourth levels respectively. One major change that was brought about in this

recognized structure is that the sphere of region was redefined synchronizing

with the revenue district in order to facilities the regional manager to interact

effectively and smoothly with other district officials of the Government.

Corporate Board: The organization chart of APSRTC was given. At the apex

level the corporation is headed by a corporation board consisting of 13

Directors including the Chairman. Eleven Directors including Chairman and

Vice-Chairman & Managing Director are appointed by the State Government,

which one each shall be nominated by the Railways and the Association of

State Road Transport Undertakings, New Delhi, The term of office of the

Directors is for 3 years seven Directors including the Chairman are non-official

members and six Directors including the Vice-Chairman & Managing Director

are official members. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman & Managing Director

are whole time members. Generally, officers from IAS/IPS cadre are

appointed as Vice-Chairman & Managing Director of the Corporation. At the

board, level mostly the major policy decisions are taken with regard to

fostering efficiency in the organization. The board mainly concentrates on

laying down the policy decisions with regard to finance, nationalization,

purchases, recruitment, etc. This function is the most important one as it

decides the board guidelines of the organizational working. The corporate

board is prescribed over by the Chairman of the Corporation. Though the

corporation is an autonomous body, the government’s voice will prevail to a

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large extent as the tax payer’s money is the chief source of finance for the

organization.

Head Office: As can be seen from the organization chart. The Vice-Chairman

& Managing Director is the Chief Executive of the Corporation who guides the

organization within the board framework laid down by the corporate board. In

order to effectively executive policies of the Corporation the administration of

the organization is divided into eight functional departments viz, Accounts,

Finance, Operations, Engineering, Administration, Medical, Security and

Management of Information System each of the functions is discharged by a

functional manager designated as Executive Director, Who assists the

Managing Director in performing his duties. All the above departments have

Line Managers to executive their respective duties. In order to run the

organization on commercial lines, a great clearly earmarked at various levels.

The organization set up has never been static and a number of modifications

are made whenever the practical circumstances warrant a change in order to

handle the problems more efficiently and run the organization economically.

Zonal Level: Keeping in mind the need to decentralize the authority, the zonal

setup was introduced in 1994, which is the second level in the hierarchy; The

APSRTC has been divided into seven zones with head quarters at

Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Karimnagar, Cuddapah, Nellore and Vizianagaram.

Each zone consists of 3 to 5 regions a fleet strength of 2,500 to 3,000 buses

and about 14,000 to 25,000 employees. There is a zonal advisory committee

appointed by the State Government, which not only reviews the

implementation of various policy decisions taken by the corporate board but

also takes decisions in respect of the items falling within its purview. The

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chairman of the zonal advisory committee shall automatically become a

member of the corporate board. The zonal manager also designated as

Executive Director is the Chief Executive of the concerned zone. He shall be

responsible to execute corporation policies by evolving section wise sub-

plans in respect of finance, operations, personnel, maintenance and

engineering and implement then effectively to make the zone a profitable unit.

In discharging his duties the Zonal Manager makes use of the services of

subordinates officers like, Regional Manager, Deputy Chief Accounts Officers,

Deputy Chief Traffic Managers, Deputy Chief Personnel Managers and

Executive Engineer’s (Civil)

Regional Level: The third level is regional level. Each region has a

geographical area similar to that of a district and as such, there are 23 regions

in operation every region consists of 8 to 9 depots, 700 to 900 buses and

nearly 4,500 to 7,000 employees. This level is mainly intended to coordinate

the activities of the depots within the jurisdiction of the region. It shall be the

constant endeavor of the Regional Manager to achieve the targets stipulated

by the Zonal Manager by planning, organizing, directing, staffing, coordinating

and controlling resources kept at his disposal to the optimum level. He shall

assist the Zonal Manager not only in the preparation of zonal budget but also

in the formulate of depot budget. Further, the Regional Manager has to

analyze the performance of the depots in comparison with budget figures and

take proper and timely corrective action, if necessary, to ensure that the

stipulated targets are achieved. In the accomplishment of the objectives as

well as in performing his duties, the Regional Manager is assisted by such

subordinates officers, as Deputy Chief Traffic Manager, Deputy Chief

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Account’s Officers, Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer, Deputy Manager,

Personnel Officer and others.

Depot Level: The Depots are at the fourth level in the organizations structure.

This level forms the base unit of operation and is headed by a Depot Manager

generally the fleet strength of Depots about 75 to 100 vehicles averagely and

employing about 600 to 800 employees. The Depot Manager is the Executive

Head delegated with enough power to carry out his functions efficiently and

with minimum possible delay. Since the transport industry is labour-intensive,

the problems of the employees have to be tackled tactfully and with foresight.

Hence, the Depot Manager is given financial, disciplinary and discretionary

powers so as to deal with the situation in such a manner as to meet the

overall objectives and produce results.

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Chart-5

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c) Brief account of Vizianagaram Zone (APSRTC):

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the

major public transport system operated by fleet of buses. Vizianagaram is one

of the 7 zones and one of the 23 administrative regions headed by General

Manager of APSRTC. Keeping in mind the need to decentralize the authority,

the zonal setup was introduced in November 14, 1994, which is the second

level in the hierarchy. The APSRTC has been divided into seven zones with

head quarters at Hyderabad, The total number of zones like Hyderabad,

Greater Hyderabad Vijayawada, Karimnagar, Cuddapah, Nellore and

Vizianagaram. Each zone consists of 3 to 5 regions the Vizianagaram zone is

sixth zone in APSRTC mostly in this covered rural areas like Vizianagaram

zone consists of 3 regions i.e. East Godavari region, Visakhapatnam region

and North East coastal region (VZM, SKLM).

The Vizianagaram zone has its head quarters located in a historical city

called Vizianagaram. Vizianagaram district is one of the Northern Coastal

districts of Andhra Pradesh. The zone is bounded on the North East by the

Odisha state, on the SouthWest by Vijayawada RTC zone, on the SouthEast

by the Bay of Bengal. The jurisdiction of Vizianagaram zone covered the

districts of East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam of

Costal Andhra Pradesh.

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There is a zonal advisory committee appointed by the state

government, which not only reviews the implementation of various policy

decisions taken by the corporate board but also takes decisions in respect of

the items falling within its purview. The Chairman of the Zonal Advisory

committee shall automatically become a member of the corporate board. The

Zonal Manager also designated as Executive Director is the Chief Executive

of the concerned zone. He shall be responsible to execute corporation

policies by evolving section wise sub- plans in respect of finance, operations,

personnel, maintenance and engineering and implement then effectively to

make the zone a profitable unit, In discharging his duties the zonal manager

makes use of the services of subordinate officers like, Regional Manager,

Deputy Chief Accounts Officers, Deputy Chief Traffic Managers, Deputy Chief

Personnel Managers and Executives Engineer’s (Civil). At present the

Vizianagaram zone consists of 3 regions i.e. East Godavari region,

Visakhapatnam region and North East coastal region. All the Depots from

Vizianagram and Srikakulam districts are comes under North East Coastal

region. There are 27 bus depots in vzm zone which connected with many bus

stations in the entire zone. Some of the bus routes operated are Amalapuram,

Bhadrachalam, Hyderabad, Khamam, Odisha, Ravulapalem, Sangareddy,

Sathupally, Shirdi, Siddipet, Srikakulam, Srikalahasthi, Srisailam, Suryapet,

Tadepalligudem, Tadipatri,Tandur, Tanuku, Tekkali and Tenali.

Latest Bus Operations: Vennela sleeper(A.C), Garuda (A.C.) Volvo,Garuda

Plus (A.C.),Volvo,Indra,AC Sleeper Coach (mayuri),Super Luxury, Delux,

Climatizer (Vihangam), Hitech Delux, Luxury, Express, Ordinary, Graamina,

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Metro-Express, CityOrdinary, Veerluxury Coaches, Palevellugucity, City

Jnnurm, Metro, A/C city, Metro Express.

Depots under Vizianagaram zone: There are three regions in Vizianagaram

Zone viz., East Godavari region, Visakhapatnam region, North East coastal

region. The three region depots consists of, Amalapuram, Rozle,

Rajahmundry,Gokavaram,Ravulapalem,Ramachandrapuram,Kakinada,Elesw

aramTtuni.Visakhapatnam,Anakapalli,Narsipatnam,Paderu,Gajuwaka,Simhac

halam,Waltair,Maddilapalem and Steelcity.Vizianagaram,Parvathipuram,Salur

and Srungavarapukota, Srikakulam-I, Srikakulam II, Palkonda,Tekkali,Palasa.

Zonal Office: Categories like Stenographers, Junior Assistants and equivalent

cadres, Telephone Operator, Deputy.Superintendentt. (Material/Purchase),

Junior Assistant (Mat/Pur) conducted by the middle officers based on their

performance and seniority Deputy CPM use to recruit/appoint where the

vacancies exists.

Regional Office: The bulk of recruitment is conducted for drivers, conductors,

mechanics, cleaners, and artisans conducted by the. R.M and concerned

head of the department use to recruit /appoint where the vacancies exists.

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Chart-6

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Table-3.7: Manpower position

Source: Compiled and Tabulated from the Annual Administration Reports of APSRTC

d) Demographic Profile of Sample Respondents

This demographic profile covers various facets of respondents’

personality. These include age-wise distribution, educational background,

social background and length of service etc. This analysis is essential as

these aspects have a direct or indirect impact on HRM practices. It also gives

an insight into the respondents' level of understanding, perception and attitude

to develop and grow if opportunities are created to them.

As mentioned in the earlier chapter, 567 respondents have been

selected to administer the questionnaire, the respondents are chosen by

S.No Category NEC

Region VSP

Region

East Godavari Region

Zone NOU

Zone Total

1 Officers 17 20 16 21 75

2 Operations Department 3876 4798 3281 40 11994

3 Mechanical Department 604 706 525 204 2039

4 Med(vul) --- --- --- 58 58

5 Med(canteen) --- --- --- 3 3

6 Personnel Department 45 58 52 39 194

7 Finance Department 33 38 21 22 114

8 Civil engineering Department

--- --- --- 27 27

9 Statistical Department 2 2 2 1 7

10 Medical Department 10 6 8 --- 24

11 Purchase Department --- 1 --- 2 3

12 Stores Department 4 5 4 57 70

13 Security Department 69 61 39 40 209

Grand Total 4660 5695 3948 514 14817

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using stratified random sampling technique in order that they represented all

the sections/departments of the various depots in the selected zone.

Age and Gender-wise Distribution: Age of the employees is one of the

important factors in any research study. Mental maturity, understanding of

people and the organization, analytical abilities, emotional balance and

judgments etc. aspects are the function of individual age and exposure. The

Table 3.7 indicates that Age-wise distribution of sample respondents. This

kind of analysis is useful to estimate the number of currently working

employees in different age groups. Any organization, big or small, needs

strong, energetic and dynamic work force in the productive age group. Any

employee would achieve success if he is able to withstand all the difficulties in

this career in their job area. Hence an attempt is made to present age-wise

distribution of the respondents.

It can be seen from the table that 41-50 is the dominant age-group and

over 47 percent of the sample respondents are in this category and

considered as senior members. The next dominant age-group in below 30

years with 20 percent. The other age groups are 31-40 and above 50 years

with 18 percent and 14 percent of respondents respectively. As per the recent

policies of the corporation here are no recruitments for fresh &young staff. As

a result be find people already in service reaching. Senior positions

consequent on their seniority by length of service, age and other factors.

96

Table-3.8:Age-wise distribution of the sample respondents

No. Of Respondents

Total Class-I Class-II Class-III Class-IV

Below 30 --- --- 60 54 114

(20.11)

31 – 40 ---- --- 84 18 102

(17.98)

41 – 50 01 08 256 04 269

(47.44)

Above 50 03 12 67 ---- 82

(14.47)

Total 04 20 467 76 567

(100.00)

Chart-7: Age-wise distribution of the sample respondents

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When we look at the respondents by gender, it is observed that in the

corporation as a whole, male respondents have dominated with 93 percent

and male respondents with 7 percent.(Table 3.8) It is also evident that in

Class-I employees, 4 respondents were male, In Class-II employees, 19

respondents were male and one respondent female. Among Class-III

employees, 439 respondents were male and 28 respondents were female In

case of Class-IV employees, 68 respondents were male and 8 respondents

were female.

Table-3.9: Gender-wise distribution of respondents

No. Of Respondents

Total Class-I Class-II Class-III Class-IV

Male 04 19 439 68 530

(93.48)

Female --- 01 28 08 37

(6.52)

Total 04 20 467 76 567

(100.00)

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Chart-8:Gender-wise distribution of respondents

Educational Qualifications: Educational qualification is a vital instrument in

the socio-economic development of any nation and of its people. It also

makes human resources a positive asset of any country in general and for an

organization, which employs them, in particular. The crucial role of academics

in developing human capital of required caliber, having the desired knowledge

and skill needs no emphasis. Thus academic or educational qualifications

play an important role in moulding an individual into an ideal employee. In

these days of specialization, selection of employees is purely done basing on

the principle of ‘right man in the right job’. Hence possession of required

academic qualifications in relation to the job has become the need of the hour.

In view of these, educational qualifications of respondents are also

ascertained through primary source.

An education is an important variable, which influences the

performance of the employees. Besides formal education not only helps to

acquire, but also imparts knowledge about the different occupational

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opportunities, studies are undertaken by economists and planners to throw

light on the relationship between the educational attainment of individuals and

its effect on their earnings, performance, etc. The Table 3.10 shows that

educational qualification-wise distribution of sample respondents.

Table-3.10: Educational Qualifications of sample respondents

No. Of Respondents

Total Class-I Class-II Class-III Class-IV

P.G 03 12 07 --- 22

(3.88)

Degree/BTech 01 08 44 --- 53

(9.35)

Inter/Polytechnic --- --- 185 16 201

(35.45)

SSC/ITI --- --- 179 48 227

(40.03)

Below SSC --- --- 52 12 64

(11.29)

Total 04 20 467 76 567

(100.00)

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Chart-9: Educational Qualifications of sample respondents

It can be observed from the table that most of the respondents are from

the below SSC /ITI qualification. This group makes up to 40 percent followed by

Inter/Polytechnic group with 35 percent. The least portion (4 percent) is

represented by the respondents with post-graduation. It is also evident that in

Class-I employees, 3 respondents were Post Graduates and one respondent

Degree holder. In Class-II employees, 12 respondents were Post Graduates,

and 8 respondents Degree holders. Among Class-III employees,

185 respondents were Inter/Polytechnic group and 179 respondents were

SSC/ITI qualification. In case of Class-IV employees, 16 respondents were

Inter/Polytechnic group, 48 respondents were SSC/ITI qualification and

12 respondents were below SSC.

Work Experience: Employees with sufficiently long service in an organization

develop high level of commitment and feel a sense of belongingness to the

organization. They nurture the organization's culture understand

organizational goals and objectives which have either a direct or indirect

101

relationship with employee's length of service in the enterprise. The same way

the more a person is experience the better then performs a job. As

experience helps a man a lot, here is an attempt is made to study the length

of service. Categorizations of the respondents on the basis of the experience

put in by them in selected organization are taken into consideration.

The Table 3.11 indicates that experience-wise distribution of sample

respondents. It is revealed and evident that most of respondents have more

than 21-30 years of job experience. They make up the large major proportion

(47 percent) of the respondents followed by the respondents with 11-20 years

of job experience making their percent to 30 percent. The least percent is

10 percent shown by the respondents with 5-10 years of job experience.

It is evident that in Class-I employees, 3 respondents have above

30 years’ experience and one respondent have 21-30 years’ experience. In

Class-II employees, 6 respondents have above 30 years’ experience and

14 respondents have 21-30 years’ experience. Among Class-III employees,

67 respondents have above 30 years experience, 235 respondents have

21-30 years’ experience, 128 respondents have 11-20 years’ experience and

37 respondents have 5-10 years’ experience In case of Class-IV employees,

14 respondents have 21-30 years’ experience, 44 respondents have

11-20 years’ experience and 18 respondents have 5-10 years’ experience.

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Table-3.11: The Total Work Experience of the respondents

No. Of Respondents

Total Class-I Class-II Class-III Class-IV

5 -10 years --- --- 37 18 55

(9.70)

11-20 years ---- --- 128 44 172

(30.33)

21-30 years 01 14 235 14 264

(46.57)

Above 30 years 03 06 67 ---- 76

(13.40)

Total 04 20 467 76 567

(100.00)

Chart-10 :Work Expereince of the respondents

Marital Status: Marriage creates certain responsibilities on the part of

the employees towards family and influences significantly his commitment

103

towards his work. Marital status plays an important role in employee’s

commitment towards his work.

It is observed from the Table 3.12 that the total employees 90 percent

of the respondents are married, followed by 6 percent are unmarried and

4 percent separated from their family. It is also evident that in Class-I all of

them are married while in Class-II employees, 19 respondents were married

and one respondent separated. Among Class-III employees, 435 respondents

were married, 15 respondents were unmarried and 17 respondents were

separated. In case of Class-IV employees, 50 respondents were married,

20 respondents were unmarried and 6 respondents were separated because

of their family problems or death of their wife.

Table-3.12: Marital status of the respondents

No. Of Respondents

Total Class-I Class-II Class-III Class-IV

Married 04 19 435 50 508

(89.60)

Unmarried --- --- 15 20 35

(6.17)

Separated --- 01 17 06 24

(4.23)

Total 04 20 467 76 567

(100.00)

Religion: Religions outlook is said to dominate the intellectual, emotional and

practical life of the people. Ours is a secular nation where people belonging

to different religions like Hinduism, Muslaman, Christianity etc. live in

104

harmony. Hence, an attempt is made to analyze the religious composition of

the employees of the factory. The religion wise distribution of sample

respondents is presented in Table 3.13. A close scrutiny of the data reveals

that all of the respondents fall into three religious viz, Hinduism Muslim and

Christianity among these, Hindus is the dominant religion for the large

majority of the respondents as 77 percent of them belong to this followed by

Christians 14 percent of respondents and 8.46 percent of respondents

belongs to Islam.

It is evident that in Class-I employees, 2 respondents were Hindus, one

respondent belongs to Muslims and one respondent Christian. In Class-II

employees, 15 respondents were Hindus, 2 respondents belongs to Muslims

and 3 respondents Christians. Among Class-III employees, 375 respondents

were Hindus, 40 respondents were Muslims and 52 respondents were

Christians. In case of Class-IV employees, 45 respondents were Hindus, 5

respondents were Muslims and 26 respondents were Christians.

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Table-3.13: Religion-wise distribution of the sample respondents

No. Of Respondents

Total Class-I Class-II Class-III Class-IV

Hindu 02 15 375 45 437

(77.08)

Muslim 01 02 40 05 48

(8.46)

Christians 01 03 52 26 82

(14.46)

Total 04 20 467 76 567

(100.00)

Chart-11: Religion-wise distribution of the sample respondents