The ongoing six-day-old strike by RTC employees has showed that public transport generally makes for less pollution.

With hundreds of buses parked in bus depots, people took out their private vehicles which meant that pollution would go up. Autorickshaws too were expected to have more trips to accommodate the extra load of passengers. They are bigger polluters.

And the data backs this. The air quality index data in the city shows that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide levels have increased in the city since the strike began on May 6. Vehicular exhaust is a major contributor of these two pollutants.

A senior Telangana State Pollution Control Board official said, “Leaving aside 100-150 old buses of the RTC, all other buses are meet Bharat Stage-IV emission standards. Regular pollution monitoring is also done by the RTC. Most autorickshaws do not get their emissions checked. As number of people using autos and personal vehicles goes up due to strike, so do the levels of NO2 and CO.”