Why Are Maharashtra’s Commuters Ditching the ST Bus?

Although 1,500 new buses have been added to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) fleet, the number of passengers during the summer holiday season (April to June) has dropped by an average of 2 million this year. As a result, the corporation has not earned the expected revenue. Experts attribute this decline in ridership to several reasons, including increased ticket fares, unhygienic bus depots, and lack of timely service, which have pushed passengers away from MSRTC. April to June is typically a crucial period for MSRTC in terms of revenue generation. Weddings and school/college holidays usually result in increased ridership across both rural and urban areas. However, this year, all three months saw a significant dip in the number of travelers, about 2 million on average.

On January 24, 2025, ticket fares were raised by 15%. It was expected that this fare hike would lead to higher income. However, the revenue increase was modest: only 8.5% in April, 12.6% in May, and just 12.5% by June 15. While the fare hike did lead to a slight rise in income, it still fell short of expectations.

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What Do the Experts Say?
Out of MSRTC's 31 divisions and 251 depots, many are running at a loss. Major divisions like Thane, Pune, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Solapur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar consistently incur losses, and no concrete measures have been taken to address the situation. Even the contributions from profit-making divisions are insufficient to improve the overall financial condition.

Depots that are in the red are served "show cause" notices, but there are no solid steps taken for skills development, counseling, or procedural reforms. As a result, even the benefits expected from fare hikes are not being realized, according to experts.