Hyderabad, June 17: In a major relief for students appearing for the NEET-UG 2026 Re-Examination scheduled on June 21, the Telangana government has announced free travel in Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) buses on the day of the examination.
State Minister for BC Welfare and Transport Ponnam Prabhakar said that all candidates appearing for the re-exam will be allowed to travel free of cost in RTC buses across the state. The decision was taken keeping in mind the large number of students, particularly from rural areas, who need to travel long distances to reach their examination centres, especially in Hyderabad.
The announcement came after NSUI Telangana President Yadavalli Venkataswamy met Minister Ponnam Prabhakar at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat on June 16 and requested the government to provide free transportation facilities for NEET candidates. Following the representation, the government approved the proposal to ease the burden on students and their families.
On June 17, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, along with Social Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar, travelled in an RTC bus from Thimmapur village to Karimnagar city. During the journey, the ministers interacted with students, women, and other passengers to gather feedback on public transport services and understand their concerns.
Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has introduced several student-friendly changes for the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination.
One of the key changes is the extension of the examination duration by 15 minutes, increasing the total time from 180 minutes to 195 minutes. The examination will now be conducted from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM.
According to the NTA, the additional time has been provided to accommodate mandatory administrative procedures such as candidate signatures and verification at the beginning and end of the examination. In previous years, students had raised concerns that these formalities reduced their effective writing time.
The agency has also increased the number of pages allocated for rough work from two to four pages. This move is expected to benefit candidates solving mathematical calculations, physics problems, and reasoning-based questions, providing them with additional space for working out answers.
Education experts believe these changes, along with the Telangana government’s free transportation initiative, will help reduce stress and improve convenience for thousands of students appearing for the highly competitive medical entrance examination.
Candidates are advised to carry their NEET-UG 2026 admit cards while availing the free RTC bus travel facility and reach their examination centres well in advance.
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