Aurangabad, Nov 19:
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has earned a profit of Rs 48 lakh in the festive season. The central bus stand saw a 55 per cent increase in the number of passengers from November 14-17.
ST bus service was closed during the lockdown due to corona infection. The bus service, which is important as the lifeline of the state, was allowed to start from August, but the initial few months saw little response. After the lockdown, the deteriorating economic condition of state transport is slowly recovering. On the backdrop of Diwali, the MSRTC increased the number of buses to various cities from Aurangabad. Similarly, special buses were arranged for passengers travelling from Mumbai and Pune to Aurangabad. This doubled the number of commuters. According to state transport officials, during November 14-17, the ST corporation earned a profit of Rs 48,20,706 with a 55 per cent increase in the number of passengers. Last year, the figure was around Rs 66 lakh. The officials said, that the crowd increased days before Diwali at Cidco bus stand and CBS. The city has a large working-class population that were going to their hometowns to celebrate Diwali. The buses to Jalgaon, Buldhana, Latur, Osmanabad and Beed had the highest number of passengers.