Pune: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation’s (MSRTC) steep fare hike for ordinary buses has triggered anger among commuters.They said it felt “misleading” because what was initially announced as a temporary increase has now been quietly made permanent.On Friday, the state transport authority approved the MSRTC’s proposal to raise fares by 13.5%, with the revised rates coming into effect on Saturday. State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said fares of Shivneri buses had not been revised and attributed the increase in ordinary bus fares to the corporation’s mounting operational losses.In April, the state transport undertaking had raised bus fares by 10%, describing it as a temporary summer surcharge for two months. The commuters said the hike was first extended until July 31 and has now effectively become permanent, with another increase of around 3.5% implemented last week.An MSRTC official in Pune confirmed that while the latest revision approved last week was around 3%, the earlier 10% ‘temporary’ hike has now been retained permanently. “The fare for an ordinary bus between Pune and Mumbai now stands at Rs 615. The fare for the same route was R 531 before April. We have already received complaints from commuters at booking counters, and with the work week beginning on Monday, we expect the number of grievances to increase,” the official told TOI.Frequent traveller Ganesh Jhende said the fare revision had become difficult to justify given the condition of many buses. “Most MSRTC buses are dirty. When it rains heavily, water leaks through the roof of buses and windows. Breakdowns are common during monsoons. I have personally been stranded in more than one breakdown over the past few months,” the Hadapsar resident said.“People are not objecting to paying more if services improve, but we have seen little change despite repeated promises,” he said.Nitin Patwardhan, another commuter, said passengers were being asked to pay more without seeing any noticeable improvement in services. “Over the past year, the MSRTC has made several announcements, but the condition of many buses and bus stations remains poor. One only has to look at the Swargate bus terminus. If fares are being increased, commuters should at least see better maintenance and operations,” said the Kothrud resident.For commuters like Umesh Khairnar, the increase came as an unpleasant surprise. “I travelled to Kolhapur on Sunday and paid Rs 440 instead of the Rs 380 that I used to pay earlier. Even after fuel prices went up, the MSRTC had assured passengers that fares would not be increased. Those assurances now seem hollow,” he said.“For many people, this hike is significant. Ordinary buses are often poorly maintained, so why would passengers not choose private operators offering better facilities at similar prices? The government should have been transparent,” said the Navi Peth resident.Private bus fares between Pune and Kolhapur currently range between Rs 400 and Rs 450, while tickets to Mumbai typically cost between Rs 500 and Rs 530, making them competitive with the revised MSRTC fares.Graphics============Destination——New Fare——-Old fare==================================Pune-Dadar——-Rs.615———Rs.531Pune-Sangli——–Rs.455———Rs. 393Pune-Solapur——–Rs.485——-Rs.419Pune-Kolhapur——-Rs.440——-Rs.380Pune-Satara———–Rs.200——–Rs.173(Approximate figures)
