ST bus fares hiked in Maharashtra; minister cites fuel and operational costs, employee allowances

Mumbai, Jul 17 (PTI) The State Transport Authority (STA) has approved a 13.56 per cent fare hike for Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses, officials said on Friday. The hike, necessitated by rising diesel prices and other factors, will be implemented from midnight between July 17 and July 18, a senior official said. An MSRTC spokesperson said the 13.56 per cent fare hike applies only to ordinary buses, while the increase varies across other categories of services. Under the revised fare structure, the rate for ordinary buses has been fixed at Rs 11.40 per stage, semi-luxury buses at Rs 13.65 per stage, ordinary sleeper-seater buses at Rs 15.50 per stage, and ordinary sleeper buses at Rs 16.75 per stage. The fare for Shivshahi AC seater and Shivshahi AC sleeper buses has been fixed at Rs 14.20 and Rs 15.35 per stage, respectively, while Shivneri AC seater and Shivneri AC sleeper services will be charged at Rs 21.25 and Rs 25.35 per stage, respectively. The revised fare charts, rounded off to the nearest multiple of Rs 5, will come into effect from Friday midnight. According to MSRTC, fares on ordinary buses on major inter-city routes will increase by Rs 15 to Rs 25. For instance, the Mumbai-Satara fare has been revised from Rs 498 to Rs 555, Mumbai-Kolhapur from Rs 730 to Rs 755, Mumbai-Solapur from Rs 705 to Rs 800, Pune-Solapur from Rs 454 to Rs 480, and Nashik-Pune from Rs 410 to Rs 425. The existing 10 per cent seasonal fare hike for ordinary buses will be withdrawn, the corporation said in a release. On July 15, the corporation had extended the seasonal fare hike till the month end. The fare revision was approved in view of rising diesel prices amid the geopolitical situation in the Gulf region, higher expenditure on employees' allowances, and increased costs of spare parts, tyres and vehicle maintenance, the release said. The hike was necessary to ensure the corporation's financial sustainability, it added. Maharashtra transport minister and MSRTC chairman Pratap Sarnaik said the fare hike was inevitable. "Rising diesel prices, higher employee allowances and increased maintenance costs made the fare revision unavoidable. The hike has been kept at the minimum possible level to reduce the burden on passengers while ensuring the financial sustainability of the MSRTC and uninterrupted services," he said. Welcoming the decision, Maharashtra ST Employees Congress General Secretary Shrirang Barge said rounding off ticket fares to the nearest multiple of Rs 5 would eliminate the long-standing problem of tendering small change and make ticketing more convenient for both passengers and conductors. MSRTC is one of the largest public bus service corporations in the country with a fleet of more than 14,000 buses and daily ridership of around 55 lakh. PTI KK KRK BNM