Mumbai: Following rigorous review meetings and directives to overhaul route planning, the state-run bus service MSRTC recorded a sharp Rs 66-crore increase in revenue in Aug compared to July, signalling a turnaround for the cash-strapped corporation. From Rs 954 crore in monthly revenue in July, it crossed the Rs 1,000-crore mark for the first time and recorded earnings of Rs 1,020 crore in Aug, a senior official said on Sunday.The revenue boost stems from aligning services with genuine commuter demand. While over 85% of MSRTC’s passengers travel distances under 100 kilometres, depots had historically prioritised longer, unviable routes that inflated operational costs. Addressing this imbalance, MSRTC chairperson Pratap Sarnaik had recently directed depot managers to focus on high-demand, short-haul traffic. Timetables were reworked to cater directly to daily commuters, including rural workers, farmers, students, women and senior citizens, alongside extra trips scheduled for local fairs and weekly village markets.This demand-driven strategy pushed MSRTC’s total monthly earnings beyond Rs 1,000 crore, the official said. The turnaround peaked on Aug 31, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan, when the corporation registered an all-time high single-day revenue of Rs 45 crore—a Rs 10-crore jump over its daily average of Rs 34 to 35 crore.Officials project that if this upward trend holds, MSRTC could wipe out its recurring operating losses within the next two to three months.
