A twin strategy centred on student travel support and internal reform has been unveiled for the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), with the focus placed on affordable educational trips and a structured plan to strengthen operations. The initiatives have been positioned as part of a broader attempt to revive the corporation’s financial health while improving public services across the state.
Under the new student-focused measure, it has been proposed that school and college tours will be facilitated through additional state transport buses and a substantial concession on fares. Educational institutions have been assured of a 50 per cent discount on the total fare for such trips, and the deployment of 800 to 1,000 buses per day from 251 MSRTC depots has been planned. These buses are to be earmarked specifically for school and college excursions, with safety and affordability being highlighted as key objectives.
The scale of earlier educational travel has been cited to support this expansion. Between November 2024 and February of the current academic cycle, 19,624 buses were operated by MSRTC for school and college tours. Revenue of around ₹92 crore, including reimbursements, was generated during this period. Through these figures, student tours have been projected as both a socially significant service and an important revenue stream for the corporation.
For the year 2025–26, a more proactive outreach approach has been designed. Depot managers and station officers have been instructed to coordinate directly with educational institutions. Meetings with school and college principals are to be held, through which principals are to be encouraged to schedule trips using MSRTC services. Special emphasis has been placed on visits to major historical and religious sites within Maharashtra so that educational, cultural and tourism-related benefits can be combined in a single journey.
Alongside the student travel plan, a comprehensive “Five-Point Plan” has been introduced for MSRTC’s internal functioning. This framework has been presented at the corporation’s headquarters in Mumbai and has been described as a roadmap for boosting revenue, improving operational efficiency and enhancing passenger services. Responsibilities have been clearly allocated from depot-level employees to regional offices, and two guiding pillars—speed and regularity of services—have been identified as the core focus areas.
Senior leadership participation has been ensured, as the meeting was attended by the vice-chairman and managing director, along with department heads, regional managers and divisional controllers. Through this, the plan has been positioned as an organisation-wide reform rather than a limited pilot. MSRTC has been characterised as a dynamic public transport organisation serving millions of passengers daily, and the Five-Point Plan has been portrayed as a concrete, transformative step aimed at strengthening the system and restoring financial stability.