Increase due to rising operational costs: MSRTC on hike in bus fares

MSRTC’s Pune Divisional official, Pramod Nehul, attributed the existent hike to the increasing operational costs. “From diesel and chassis to tyres and dearness allowances, these are the large expenses that MSRTC is present facing,” helium said. “This is not the archetypal clip we person raised fares. We reappraisal and revise them periodically,” Nehul added.

According to Nehul, the transport assemblage continues to grapple with fiscal challenges, including losses amounting to thousands of crores. However, successful November past year, MSRTC recorded a gross of Rs 941 crore, its highest monthly net for 2024. The summation successful gross was attributed to the Diwali festive season, which led to a surge successful rider numbers.

When asked astir the imaginable interaction connected commuters, Nehul said that determination would beryllium nary specified antagonistic effect. “Even aft the fare hike, our summons prices volition stay little than those of backstage operators and question agencies. People volition inactive similar government-run buses,” helium said.

However, immoderate commuters expressed dissatisfaction with the fare increase. Akshay Tambe, an IT nonrecreational passenger, questioned the fairness of the decision. “Does this mean backstage buses, which often hike their fares during festivals with RTO permits, volition present person much country to overcharge?” helium asked.

According to RTO regulations, backstage operators are allowed to complaint up to 1.5 times the modular fares acceptable by MSRTC but cannot transcend this bounds for buses successful the aforesaid category.

Addressing concerns regarding fare concessions, Nehul clarified that discounts for circumstantial categories of passengers, specified arsenic elder citizens and women, would stay unchanged. “The concession look remains the same—50 percent subsidy for elder citizens aged 65 and supra and women passengers, portion question remains escaped for commuters aged 75 oregon more. However, with the fare hike, the wide concession magnitude volition summation proportionally,” helium explained.