The last few years have seen intense competition among public and private sector bus fleet operators. Everybody wants a larger share of the passenger pie.
In its bid to meet rapidly growing passenger needs, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is walking the makeover path with a slew of passenger-centric initiatives. As most of the STUs gear up towards modernising their fleet and upgrading passenger comforts, MSRTC is also poised to make changes to its fleet. “We will be introducing a mid-section bus in the name of ‘Shiv Shahi’. These will be AC buses similar to normal mid-segment city buses. These buses will be operated between districts in Maharashtra and from some big cities to far-flung interiors. The current semi-luxury services will be replaced after we introduce these AC buses,” said Mr. Ranjit Singh Deol, VC & Managing Director of MSRTC, in an exclusive interaction with MOTORINDIA.
Keeping April 2017 when BS-IV emission norms will be enforced, MSRTC is also upgrading its maintenance unit. Over a long term, until 2020 MSRTC is also mulling over to install vehicle tracking system on all the vehicles. “We have been pondering over this for a long time and are on the right track to implement it. We have also proposed passenger information system either through the LCD display or the mobile apps. Efforts are even made to avail these systems for long-distance village buses,” Mr. Deol disclosed.
Clearly MSRTC is planning to have passenger information system near a gram panchayat bus depot that will keep people informed about the bus schedules.
MSRTC also proposed utilisation of the some old buses as goods carriers. “These buses will be the ones that are at least 8 years older and can’t carry passengers. We are trying to find a legal way to utilise these buses for courier service instead of scrapping them. The services will also be cost effective and help the rural economy as a lot of farm, poultry and dairy items can be moved easily. The new service will give some boost to MSRTC,” beamed Mr. Deol.
Elaborating a bit more on upgrading bus stands and depots, he said: “We have spoken to 30 architects that are going to design airport-like 13 bus ports. In total we have 550 bus stands and out of that atleast 350 are more commonly used. MSRTC has also floated a work order issue for free Wi-Fi in all the buses and by the end of 2016 every bus will have a free Wi-Fi facility,” informs Mr. Deol. MSRTC already has SMS alerts for passengers booking e-tickets.
Mind-boggling numbers
In total, MSRTC operates on 18,450 routes with 18,550 buses catering to 67 lakh passengers a day generating Rs. 19 crores in traffic revenue. Established in 1948 with just 36 buses and known as the Bombay State Road Transport Corporation, MSRTC, today runs 5 – Ashvamedh (A.C. Multi axle) 111 – Shivneri (A.C. Volvo + Scania: 75 – Owned & 36 Hired) 11 Sheetal (A.C. Semi Luxury), 1066 – Hirkani Semi Luxury (With Air Suspensions), 15,440 Parivartan (Ordinary – Including 60 CNG), 518 City buses, 530, Yashavanti (Midi 31 Seater) and 869 for Human Development Schemes. It provides special training to the drivers and even new recruits to avoid road accidents and ensure safety.