Mumbai: MSRTC‘s premium Shivneri bus service, long seen as the preferred inter-city option on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway, is set for a statewide expansion.MSRTC initiated the tender process to procure 200 new technologically advanced Volvo buses, including 30 sleeper coaches, to scale up operations beyond the Mumbai–Pune corridor. The sleeper coaches could be inducted on the Mumbai–Panjim, Mumbai–Bengaluru and Mumbai–Nagpur routes in the near future, a senior official said.After the 200 Volvo buses are inducted into the fleet, the corporation has plans to deploy Shivneri services on multiple high-demand inter-city routes across regions, aiming to offer a uniform premium standard of road travel in Maharashtra. Among the routes proposed for the next phase are Nashik–Pune, Nashik–Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik–Jalgaon–Dhule, Pune–Kolhapur, Pune–Sangli, Pune–Solapur, Nagpur–Chandrapur and Nagpur–Amravati–Akola.The expansion was expected to improve connectivity between major commercial, educational and administrative centres while providing a reliable alternative to private operators.Of the 200 buses planned, 30 would be sleeper coaches. “Sleeper Shivneri” services would be introduced on routes where non-air-conditioned sleeper buses currently operated, offering bed-coach comfort, upgraded safety features and modern onboard technology for longer journeys.Transport minister and MSRTC Chairman Pratap Sarnaik said there was a strong passenger response to MSRTC’s electric “e-Shivneri” services currently operating on key corridors, including Dadar–Swargate, Dadar–Shivajinagar, Borivali–Swargate, Borivali–Shivajinagar, Thane–Swargate and Thane–Shivajinagar. The eco-friendly fleet, he said, helped broaden the appeal of the Shivneri brand among daily and weekend travellers.The minister reiterated that existing concessions would continue: women passengers and senior citizens aged 65 to 75 received a 50% fare concession, while those above 75 travelled free on Shivneri services.
