MSRTC fares likely to increase

Due to the hike in prices of petrol and diesel, the fares of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) are likely to go up as well.

Meanwhile, the MSRTC has prepared a proposal for the same. According to sources, the increase in prices of diesel rates has put an additional burden of INR 120-140 crores per month on the MSRTC.

Back in June 2018, MSRTC had hiked the fares by 18 per cent. Now that the fare will go up again, there is a possibility of a big increase in ticket prices.

Furthermore, 15,000-16,000 buses of the MSRTC are running on diesel. When STs run at full capacity, the state consumes lakhs of diesel per day. At present 10,000 vehicles of the corporation are running which takes 8 lakh litres of diesel per day. Also, 38 per cent of ST's total revenue, or INR 3,000-4,000 crores, is spent on fuel alone, according to the corporation.

On the other hand, in a recently taken decision, the MSRTC has planned on setting up charging stations across 10 ST stations in the state. Reports state that, over the next few months, a total of 50 charging stations will be set up at Pune, Solapur, Nashik, Aurangabad and Kolhapur.

As of now, the government offices are restricted with 15 per cent manpower, due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and as a result, not many firms have been able to respond to the tenders related to electric buses, which were floated two weeks back.

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