Buoyed by the success of its foray into goods transport three weeks ago, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has now started converting old buses into goods vehicles for its freight business.
The corporation has approved the modification of 330 old buses — 10 from each of its 33 divisions — across the State and has already converted 72 buses, which will be added to its existing fleet of 300 goods transport vehicles. Buses that have travelled 6.5 lakh km or are more than 10 years old have been selected for the modifications, which include removing seats and providing a larger entrance.
Shekhar Channe, vice-chairman and managing director, MSRTC, said they may modify more buses if the need and demand arises.
The MSRTC entered the freight segment on May 21, when it first transported mangoes from Ratnagiri to Mumbai. Mr. Channe said, “The basic intention of entering this segment was to provide farmers and small business owners transport facilities for their goods. The State government found that the lack of transport due to COVID-19 was an issue faced by many.”
It could also benefit the the corporation in the long term, he said.
A spokesperson said that over the last three weeks, the MSRTC has earned ₹21 lakh by transporting 3,000 tonnes of goods. Its goods vehicles have made 543 trips over 90,000 km. It has transported food grains, seeds, fertilisers, vegetables, and other agricultural produce, as well as items like iron pipes and paint cans across the State.
MSRTC officials said that at present, a person needs to book the entire vehicle, but they are putting in place a system where people can send smaller quantities of goods. “We are trying to develop the system along the lines of the Railways, which has freight as well as parcel traffic. The idea is to develop an alternative revenue stream for the corporation,” a senior MSRTC official said.
The government-run corporation ferries passengers across the State and has 250 bus depots. It is currently facing cumulative losses of more than ₹6,000 crore. The entry into the freight business was approved by the State government on May 18, given that passenger services were suspended during the lockdown.