PUNE: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is finally getting a good response from their Pune-Mumbai-Pune Shivneri service and interestingly, the service has added 60,000 more passengers in only two months after the ticket price was slashed on July 8 this year.
The transport utility service was suffering heavy losses due to high ticket prices and competition from private bus operators as well as cab services.
This resulted in a drastic drop in the number of travellers as compared to the previous year. Considering this, the department had decided to decrease the fare. However, at the end of July and early August, the trains running between Pune and Mumbai were also badly affected due to heavy rains. Owing to the cancellation of several trains, passengers decided to travel by Shivneri buses.
From the last 10 years, Shivneri has become a brand of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and very popular among passengers not only in Maharashtra but also outside the State.
The most popular Shivneri route is Pune station to Dadar and every day, many buses run between 5 am to 11 pm without any stop.
“As per the ticket booking record, 60,000 extra passengers travelled in the last 75 days by Shivneri. Last year, the number of passengers who travelled was only 3.8 lakh, while this year, it was 4.4 lakh from July to August,” said a senior MSRTC officer of Pune division.
Travellers from Mumbai (Dadar, suburban, Thane and Borivali) and travellers from Pune (Hinjawadi, Aundh, Shivajinagar) are booking tickets online or via ST app.
Recently, the transport department has added ‘Vehicle Tracking System’ which also helps passengers track the bus and know the time of arrival. The department is also planning to reduce the duration of halt at the food mall.
