The death of a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) driver in Warangal on Friday intensified protests across Telangana, leaving bus services largely paralysed for a third day.

The driver, who had set himself on fire amid the agitation, succumbed to injuries Friday morning, triggering wider unrest. The strike, called by the TGSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC), has seen employees boycott duties, keeping thousands of buses off the roads.

Scores of transport officials sat on dharna across Telangana. In Hyderabad, services remained suspended at key hubs such as Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station and Jubilee Bus Station, with police deployed to maintain order.

Authorities pressed about 1,000 buses — including 450 electric ones — into service through outsourcing. The corporation runs over 9,300 buses statewide, including about 3,300 hired vehicles; in Hyderabad alone, around 3,000 buses ferry nearly 26 lakh passengers daily.

The RTC employees have been asking Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to fulfil election promises including pay revision, job security and payment of salary dues.

As protests intensified Thursday,  Chief Minister Revanth Reddy held a Cabinet meeting to discuss the protests.

After the meeting, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said: “The RTC workers have the right to protest and express their dissent. But our request to them is not to take their own lives”. Minister D Sridhar Babu said, “Every life is valuable and the government is keenly trying to address the concerns of striking employees. We request all employees to exercise restraint”.