01 April,2025 07:36 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Representation pic
With losses to the tune of Rs 3 crore per day, the five-point plan drawn up by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to revive the public transport body needs to be followed in letter and spirit, experts said. The plan involves introspection of services, offering better quality and high-end maintenance.
The five key points included maintaining absolute cleanliness on board buses and bus depots to attract more passengers. The second point highlighted maintaining punctuality so that services are more reliable which in turn will attract more passengers. The third point involves targeting school administrations and students to get more students for passes to garner revenue. The fourth point elaborated on saving on overtime allowances and fuel input for bus operations. The final point highlighted high-end maintenance of buses so that no buses on any routes are cancelled at any point in time.
Sources said these targets were set for three years starting January 2025, but many of these points have not been followed in letter and spirit, which is one of the reasons for the financial decline of the corporation. "These five points were the key to the growth and development of MSRTC and only if these were followed in spirit, there would have been some difference in procuring more revenue for the loss-making corporation," transport activist Rohit Dhende said.
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said that the losses to the undertaking were due to the various concessions offered to women and senior citizen commuters and beyond this, no further travel concessions will be offered on ST buses, helping the corporation consolidate its position.
