Maharashtra: MSRTC to add over 5,000 electric buses to its fleet, fares to be kept low

To achieve the zero-emission target in the country almost every state is including electric buses in its fleet. After Delhi, Kolkata, and Uttar Pradesh, now Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation will hire 5,150 electric buses, buy 2,000 diesel buses and convert 5,000 vehicles from diesel to LNG, the decisions being taken in the state-run undertaking's directors' board meeting on November 18. In the 302nd meeting of the board of directors, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that it is necessary that MSRTC gets a ‘facelift’ and asked officials to provide quality service to the passengers as well as maintain the cleanliness of buses. 

A release from the office of Shinde, who is chairman of MSRTC, said he had approved in principle a plan to take a loan from the Asian Development Bank for electric buses. In the previous meeting of the directors' board, approval was given for hiring 2,000 electric buses, but the CM increased the number to 5,150, the release said, adding he had directed officials to ensure fares of these air-conditioned buses are kept low.

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Since the chassis for CNG buses are not available and in view of the low number of CNG pumps, Shinde also approved the purchase of 2000 diesel buses instead of CNG for MSRTC, besides hiring 180 buses for Pune and Sangli divisions.

5,000 buses running on diesel will be converted to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel, which will be supplied at a rate 20 to 25 percent lower than the prevailing rate of diesel, it said. This work will be done by the supplier company and, initially, the MSRTC will not have to make any investment.

Shinde also approved increasing the dearness allowance of MSRTC employees and officials to 34 percent from the present 24 percent, apart from the salary revision proposal of its officers for a six-year period from 2016-17 to 2021-22, the release said.

According to the release, the limit of additional gratuity to the heirs of employees who died while in service has been increased to Rs 7.05 lakh from Rs 6.15 lakh under the additional gratuity and employee deposit linked insurance scheme.

MSRTC is one of the biggest state-owned public transport undertakings in the country with a fleet of over 16,000 buses. The loss-making corporation was ferrying over 65 lakh passengers daily before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(With inputs from PTI)