MSRTC bus fares up from today

Commuters travelling by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses will have to shell out more money from Friday, following an increase in fares by 10.34%. The MSRTC said the fare hike was brought in because of the rise in diesel price.

This means travelling on Shivneri and other MSRTC buses will become dearer by Re1 to Rs70.

The state transport authority permitted MSRTC to increase the fares during Thursday’s meeting.

The fare slab has increased from Rs4.35 to Rs4.80 per 6km for regular buses, Rs5.10 to Rs5.60 for night buses, Rs5.85 to Rs6.40 for semi-luxury buses, Rs6.60 to Rs8.50 for air-conditioned semi-luxury buses and Rs10 to Rs11.85 for air-conditioned Shivneri buses. The fare hike will also be applicable for student passes.

The transport body had been incurring losses of Rs34 lakh daily since the diesel price hike. “MSRTC was compelled to hike the fares due to the increase in the price of diesel,” said Deepak Kapoor, managing director, MSRTC.

MSRTC buses use around 11 lakh litres of diesel everyday.