MSRTC bus fare hike will come into effect from tomorrow; private bus fares likely to rise, too

The 18% fare hike for Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus tickets comes into effect on Saturday. This means, your journey from Dadar to Pune on an air-conditioned Shivneri will cost you Rs510 instead of Rs430, and Rs300 instead of Rs253 on Shivshahi.

The State Transport Authority (STA), chaired by Maharashtra’s transport secretary, approved the hike on Friday, to mitigate partially the MSRTC’s financial burden, worsened by rising fuel prices and the revised wage agreement with labour unions.

“Earlier, MSRTC had said the hike would be in effect from June 15, but due to the delay in getting the STA’s approval, it has been postponed by a day,” said an MSRTC officer, requesting anonymity.

The MSRTC will also round off fares in multiples of Rs5. This means that passengers will be charged Rs10, if the fare for a distance is Rs8, but Rs 5, if the fare is Rs7. The corporation has taken this decision to avoid disputes between conductors and passengers over change.

The fare hike for state-owned public transport buses will also raise fares on private inter-city buses, as the state government recently allowed private bus operators to charge 50% more than MSRTC buses.

MSRTC is the largest public road transport undertaking in the country, with a fleet of around 18,000 buses and a workforce of more than one lakh. The corporation is expected to face an annual financial burden Rs 460 crore due to increased diesel prices, and a huge financial liability of Rs 4,849 crore because of the new wage agreement.