Maharashtra: MSRTC bus fares hiked by 14.95%, new rates come into effect

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 25 (ANI): 14.95 per cent hike in fares of the buses operated by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) came into operation on Saturday.
Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation on Friday approved the hike as per the formula determined by the Hakim Committee.
As a result of this hike, passengers travelling by MSRTC buses will have to pay more for their journeys. The fare increase will be applicable to all routes operated by MSRTC, which has a massive fleet of 15,000 buses. These buses transport around 55 lakh passengers daily, making it one of the largest bus networks in India.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) has approved a Rs 3 increase in the base fare for both auto rickshaws and black-and-yellow taxis. This means auto-rickshaw fares will rise from Rs 23 to Rs 26, while taxi base fares will increase from Rs 28 to Rs 31 1.
Additionally, the fare for blue-and-silver AC cool cabs will also see an increase of Rs 8, with the new fare for the first 1.5 kilometers being Rs 48, up from the current Rs 40.
It's worth noting that these new rates will only be applicable once the meters in all vehicles have been recalibrated to reflect the changes.
Meanwhile, the Western Railway has initiated a three-day jumbo block, which will take place on the 24th, 25th, and 26th of this month. The mega block commenced at 11 PM last night, with plans to extend until 8:30 AM each morning.
This block was taken for the construction of a bridge between Bandra and Mahim. Currently, Western Railway has resumed normal operations.
This will lead to repercussions on several long-distance trains, Train No. 20901, Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar Capital Vande Bharat Express, scheduled for January 25, 2025, will now depart at 06:15 hrs from Mumbai Central.
Similarly, Train No. 22953, Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Gujarat Superfast Express, will be rescheduled to depart at 06:40 hrs on January 25, 2025. Train No. 12009, Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express, will depart at 06:30 hrs from Mumbai Central on the same date. Additionally, Train No. 09052, Bhusaval-Dadar Special, will short terminate at Borivali and remain partially cancelled between Borivali and Dadar on January 25, 2025, according to Western Railway social media platform X updates. (ANI)