The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has submitted a proposal to the state government to add 1,300 new buses to its fleet in this year’s Budget.
According to reports, even though the corporation needs more than 2,000 buses, relatively 1,300 buses will arrive.
Maharashtra transport minister Anil Parab has sought funds to the tune of INR 600 crore in the state budget 2020-21 to procure 2,000 new buses for MSRTC. However, the state had allotted INR 110 crore, with which the corporation managed to purchase 700 buses, 500 ordinary ones and 200 'vithai' pilgrimage buses to Pandharpur, the release stated.
The MSRTC is one of the biggest public transport undertakings in the country, with a fleet of at least 18,500 buses that ferry over 65 lakh passengers every day. However, currently, the number of ST passengers has been reduced to 50 per cent due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Last year till September, MSRTC was operating buses with 50 per cent capacity in view of the coronavirus pandemic. However, after witnessing a downward trend in the cases the state government allowed to run the buses with 100 per cent passenger-carrying capacity.
As a result, the per day of the transport body, which has been facing a whopping loss amid the pandemic, has gone up to INR 12.50 crores per day compared to last year.
At present, it is operating 14,000 buses, carrying on average 23-24 lakh passengers every day.
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