The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation is one of India’s largest state-owned road transport undertakings — 14,123 buses, 423 bus stations, 129 depots, 357 bus shelters, and a fleet that operates on over 30,000 routes across the state and into neighboring Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. Founded on January 11, 1958, APSRTC has been the mobility backbone of Andhra Pradesh through reorganisations, bifurcations, and economic cycles. When people say APSRTC bus station without specifying a city, they most often mean one particular address: the Pandit Nehru Bus Station in Vijayawada.
PNBS, as it is universally called, is not merely the largest bus station in Andhra Pradesh — it is one of the largest bus stations in India. Spanning 28 acres on NH-65 at Krishna Lanka beside the Krishna River, it ranks behind only Chennai’s Mofussil Bus Terminus in land area. Inaugurated on September 23, 1990, the station was designed with the organisational ambition of a transport corporation that knew Vijayawada’s geographic destiny. The city sits precisely at the center of Andhra Pradesh’s road and rail network — equidistant between the northern and southern belts of the state, on the arterial highway connecting Hyderabad to Chennai — making it the unavoidable convergence point for bus traffic across the state. The station holds 61 platforms with 48 in the departure terminal and 12 in the arrival terminal, plus a City Bus Port for local services and RTC House as the administrative headquarters of the corporation.
APSRTC recently launched a new Stree Shakti scheme providing free travel for women and has been inducing Mercedes-Benz luxury buses to upgrade its fleet quality.
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) — Primary APSRTC Bus Station |
| Other Name | Telugu Satavahana Prayana Pranganam |
| Location | NH-65, Arrival Block, Krishna Lanka, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh — 520003 |
| Inaugurated | September 23, 1990 |
| Operated By | Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) |
| APSRTC Fleet Size | 14,123 buses, 30,000+ routes |
| Total Platforms | 61 (48 departure + 12 arrival + City Bus Port) |
| Site Area | 28 acres — second largest bus station in India |
| Key Blocks | Departure Terminal, Arrival Terminal, RTC House (HQ), City Bus Port |
| Enquiry Number | 0866-252 3926; Alternate: 0866-252 3928 |
| APSRTC Helpline | 149 (complaints); 0866-257 0005 (24/7) |
| WhatsApp Support | 95523 00009 |
| Key Routes | Hyderabad, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Bengaluru, Warangal |
| Bus Service Types | Amaravati, Deluxe, Telugu Velugu, Express, Garuda, Garuda Plus, Indra, Super Luxury, Vennela |
| Nearest Railway Station | Vijayawada Junction — Approx. 3–4 km |
| Nearest Airport | Vijayawada International Airport — Approx. 22 km |
| Governing Authority | APSRTC, Government of Andhra Pradesh |
Location
PNBS is positioned on NH-65 in the Krishna Lanka area of Vijayawada’s southern commercial zone, adjacent to the Krishna River — the river frontage giving this enormous terminal a geographic openness that most urban bus stations embedded in dense city fabric cannot achieve. Four entrances allow access from different directions. The APSRTC administrative headquarters — RTC House in the NTR Administration Block — sits within the station complex, making this simultaneously the operational hub and the corporate address of one of India’s major state transport corporations.
Directions
From Vijayawada Junction Railway Station: Travel southward approximately 3 to 4 kilometres by auto-rickshaw or cab, 10 to 20 minutes. The railway station and PNBS are the two defining transit anchors of Vijayawada’s central zone.
From Vijayawada Airport: Travel southward approximately 22 kilometres by cab, 30 to 45 minutes.
From Hyderabad: Travel southeastward via NH-65 approximately 275 to 280 kilometres, 4.5 to 5.5 hours by APSRTC. The Hyderabad-Vijayawada corridor is one of APSRTC’s most heavily served routes.
From Tirupati: Travel northward approximately 380 kilometres, 6 to 7 hours via the southern Andhra corridor.
Connectivity
Vijayawada Junction Railway Station — one of South India’s busiest railway junctions — is the primary rail connectivity anchor for PNBS, handling trains on the Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Chennai, and multiple branch line corridors. Vijayawada Airport serves domestic connections. The city does not currently have metro rail, though Vijayawada Metro has been in planning for several years.
Nearby Areas
Kanaka Durga Temple: Vijayawada’s defining religious landmark — the Kanaka Durga Devi temple atop Indrakeeladri hill overlooking the Krishna River — is directly accessible from the PNBS zone and draws enormous pilgrimage traffic through the bus station. Prakasam Barrage: The major irrigation barrage across the Krishna River adjacent to the bus station zone is both an engineering landmark and a tourist attraction. Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh capital development zone and the ancient Buddhist stupa site approximately 30 kilometres from Vijayawada are accessible from PNBS by bus.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What is APSRTC and where is its main bus station?
APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation) operates 14,123 buses on 30,000+ routes. Its main bus station is Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) in Vijayawada — 28 acres, 61 platforms, second largest in India.
Q2. How many platforms does APSRTC’s Vijayawada bus station have?
61 platforms — 48 departure, 12 arrival, plus a City Bus Port for local services.
Q3. What are APSRTC’s premium bus service types?
Garuda Plus, Garuda, Indra, Super Luxury, Vennela AC Sleeper, and the newer Amaravati service are the premium categories.
Q4. How far is PNBS from Vijayawada Railway Station?
About 3 to 4 km — accessible by auto-rickshaw in 10 to 20 minutes.
Q5. Does APSRTC offer free travel for women?
Yes — the Stree Shakti scheme provides free bus travel for women on APSRTC services, with Andhra Pradesh recently releasing ₹400 crore for reimbursements covering October 2025.