Fuel prices have consistently increased across the country, and this has impacted the transport department of the government. Considering the rise in diesel cost, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), recently decided that a thousand buses from the current fleet of 17000 buses will be converted into CNG vehicles.
A report regarding the same was published in the Indian Express, which stated that the tender for the same was floated on October 9, 2021. These buses will be operated in five districts - Pune, Ratnagiri, Mumbai, Aurangabad and Nagpur – of Maharashtra.
Sharing more details, the Mechanical Engineer of MSRTC, Vaibhav Wakode, said that the department had acquired 50 buses in 2009 which run on CNG between Thane, Kalyan and Panvel. However, the rising cost in fuel, despite buying the diesel in bulk, is making if unaffordable to operate, and hence the decision to convert the buses to CNG was implemented.
Data shared by the official stated that over 12 lakh litres of diesel worth approximately INR 3,000 crore is used by the buses every year. If the decision of replacing a few buses is implemented the government will be able to save a large sum, approximately INR 9 per km, and this would help the department significantly.
Besides this, the department has proposed 100 electric buses on the Mumbai-Pune sector on Shivneri route and approval from the concerned department is awaited. Once confirmed, the process to convert the same will begin immediately.
Currently, several buses operated by MSRTC often have completed seven years out of the total lifespan of approximately 13 years, and officials are planning to install the CNG tank on these buses by altering the body.
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