Fare of Pune-Mumbai Shivneri bus slashed
Pune: Facing revenue losses from past one year due to high fares, State Transport Minister Diwakar Raote announced on Wednesday that the fare of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) Pune-Mumbai air-conditioned Shivneri and Ashwamedh buses will be slashed by Rs 80-90 and Pune-Aurangabad fare cut by Rs 120. The new fare will be implemented from July 8.
MSRTC bus fares were higher than private luxury buses on Pune-Mumbai route hence passengers were opting to travel by private luxury buses.
From the past 15 years, most popular Shivneri route is Pune-Mumbai. Shivneri is running on seven different routes in Maharashtra and every day, it is making around 435 trips. On an average, 1.5 lakh passengers travel by these buses every day.
As per information shared by MSRTC, fare of Swargate-Borivali-Swargate Shivneri route will be revised from Rs 615 to Rs 525. Similarly, fare of Pune station-Dadar-Pune station route will be revised from Rs 520 to Rs 440 while Swargate-Dadar-Swargate fare will be reduced from Rs 540 to Rs 460.
This is being done to attract more passengers. The decision was also taken in view of competition. “Shivneri is very popular on Pune-Mumbai-Pune route. We want to make it accessible for everyone and also woo more commuters. It is both safe and comfortable to travel,” Transport Minister Diwakar Raote said.
An MSRTC official said that in Maharashtra, Shivneris operate on seven different inter-city routes.
Talking to Sakal Times, Prasanna Patwardhan, President Bus Operators Confederation of India and Chairman and Managing Director of Prasanna Purple Pvt Ltd, said, “After slashing the fare, the competition will be healthy, but MSRTC will not be able to provide the facilities we are providing.”
However, one of the sources from the MSRTC Pune Division said that due to higher fares, passengers were favouring private luxury buses. “Our bus stops only at ST bus stops and running on time and this is one of the best part of the service,” the source said.
