Maharashtra road transport corporation to add 8,300 buses to boost revenue

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation has decided to add 8,300 buses to its fleet this year to improve its financial health, as the state transport utility is incurring daily losses of almost Rs 1.5 crore."As per the long-term strategy, there is an intention to purchase 20,000 to 25,000 buses in the next few years. It has received in-principle approval from state govt, and 8,300 buses will be introduced in the first phase this year," a release said quoting state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik.The minister said if the number of buses is increased, the number of passengers would increase too, and, in turn, MSRTC's income would automatically increase.MSRTC officials said the new buses to be added to the fleet include 3,000 buses of 55-seat capacity, which would be introduced in batches from March. Another 5,000 new buses would be normal, and the tendering process for their procurement is in the final stage. Around 200 luxury buses, to beat the competition of private transporters, and 100 midi-buses to cater to the travelling needs of people from remote areas were other category of buses that would be added into the MSRTC fleet."The state transport corporation has a fleet of around 12,600 buses. The fleet will be increased considerably in the days to come. With an enhanced fleet, we expect to cater to around 70 lakh to 75 lakh passengers per day," a senior MSRTC official said.Currently, the daily expenditure of the MSRTC is in the range of Rs 34 crore to Rs 35 crore, while the income is around Rs 33 crore per day."The state transport corporation is not a profit-making entity as it is the lifeline for the common man in the state. However, it is necessary to achieve a balance between expenditure and income to avoid losses. With the arrival of new buses, the income will definitely increase and MSRTC will become financially strong," Sarnaik said.