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Time of India
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
MSRTC begins conversion of Shivshahi AC buses into part of regular Hirkani fleet
Pune: The ( ) has started the process of converting its once popular and premier Shivshahi bus fleet into regular buses, with the entire fleet conversion set to take two years to execute, officials told TOI. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These semi-luxury air-conditioned buses, first introduced in 2017 and initially hugely popular, are now infamous for technical problems resulting in multiple breakdowns and road accidents. "The conversion work has started, and these buses are being given the normal look of MSRTC's Hirkani buses. In fact, the Shivshahi buses will be converted into regular Hirkani buses, which are non-AC, and will be released on different routes. The whole process to convert all the buses will take around two years," Abhijit Bhosle, public relations officer with the state transport body, told TOI. Another official said that at present, seven buses are in the process of getting converted. "Once they are changed, they will be operated for some time for checks, following which we will move ahead. The Shivshahi fleet consists of a total of 790 buses, and they all will be changed to regular buses in a phased manner. By the end of this year, we expect to change around 40-45 Shivshahi buses into Hirkani ones," the official said. Amit Dhotre, a middle-aged working professional who uses MSRTC services, questioned the plan. "How and why has MSRTC not been able to maintain these buses? They were a huge hit, and the fares were pocket-friendly for people who wanted to travel in AC buses. Then, right after the pandemic, the buses started having so many issues and problems. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now If MSRTC is spending crores of rupees in procurement of e-buses, what is stopping them from maintaining the Shivshahi fleet? Converting them into regular buses must be costing more money than what is needed for proper repairs and maintenance," he said. Darshan Kayande posted a video on online platform X on Saturday, showing rainwater entering a Shivshahi bus. "We pay 15% more fare than a normal MSRTC bus for this type of luxury," he wrote. Sources in the state transport body said that the focus of state govt is currently on e-buses. However, converting these Shivshahi buses into e-buses would have been too costly. So, as they can still operate, they are being altered into regular buses," another official told TOI. While commuters were unhappy about the plan for Shivshahi buses, they expressed relief that the 'Shivneri Sundari' plan — wherein MSRTC had planned hostesses in Shivneri buses between Pune and Mumbai — was scrapped, citing that this was another waste of funds. Confirming the cancellation, PRO Bhosle said, "The plan has been scrapped for now." Commuter Rahul Parashar, who travels between the two cities often, said, "It is good that they are not going ahead with the hostess plan. There are more pressing and urgent issues MSRTC needs to deal with at present — the foremost being increasing the fleet size."
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
MSRTC's fleet likely to remain same despite addition of new buses
1 2 Pune: Addition of 2,640 new buses by the year-end will not make much of a difference to MSRTC's fleet as almost an equal number of old buses will be scrapped, transport officials said. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has around 15,663 buses at present. Senior officials of the state transport body told TOI that after procurement of new Lal Pari buses, the capacity of the fleet will be around 16,000. "Many buses will be scrapped as and when new buses arrive. Of these 2,640 buses, we have already received 1,732, which resulted in a slight increase in the size of the fleet. However, scrapping old buses is unavoidable," Abhijit Bhosle, the public relations officer of MSRTC, said. Before the phased arrival of these new buses, the fleet size of MSRTC was around 14,000. MSRTC desperately needs around 22,000 to 23,000 buses to adequately cater to commuters across the state. According to the state's economic survey report 2024-25, the average daily passenger traffic of MSRTC is 58.69 lakh compared to 55.49 lakh in 2023-24. In comparison, the fleet size in 2024-25 stood at 15,560 against 15,760 in 2023-24. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 3/4 BHK from ₹ 1.68 Crore*, Bengaluru Birla Estates Learn More Undo "We need to scrap about 1,500 to 2,000 buses. As per MSRTC's regulations, buses that complete 15 lakh km need to be scrapped. Owing to the slow procurement of buses, the policy was revised, and earlier buses that completed 9 years of operational service or operated 9 lakh km were scrapped," an MSRTC official said. Somesh Dixit, a Pune resident who often travels to Mumbai, Ahmednagar, and Solapur for work, said that delay in procurement of buses was very frustrating. "These days, the buses are never on time. Last month, I went to Ahmednagar and the bus that was supposed to leave Swargate at 4 pm arrived at 4:50 pm. I am seriously considering switching to private buses now," he said. Another MSRTC official said that the delay in getting e-buses, totalling 5,150 at present, had affected their operation. "We should have received all the e-buses by now. However, we only have 220 e-buses. In a meeting last week, the transport minister told Trans EV, the company set to supply the buses, to adhere to the new timeline -- 625 buses in 2025, 2,100 buses in 2026, and the rest in 2027. The revised timeline will not be enough to fill the deficit," the official said. A few days ago, the minister had announced that the contract with the company would be terminated. Officials said that the conversion of seven Shivshahi buses into regular buses had been started at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar depot. "These transformed buses will soon be out on the road, and based on their performance, further steps will be initiated," the PRO said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
MSRTC to convert 7 Shivshahi buses into regular non-AC vehicles
1 2 Pune: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will convert seven Shivshahi buses into non-air-conditioned semi-luxury vehicles, signalling the start of discontinuing the previously prestigious Shivshahi service. "The decision in this regard was taken in the board meeting on Monday. Accordingly, the seven Shivshahi buses will be converted into non-AC semi-luxury vehicles on an experimental basis. The buses will be redesigned to resemble MSRTC's Hirkani semi-luxury vehicles," a senior MSRTC official said. Abhijit Bhosle, the public relations officer of MSRTC, confirmed the development in its report last month, had reported that MSRTC was looking to stop Shivshahi operations and convert them into non-AC buses. The first batch of Shivshahi buses rolled out in 2017 to provide a comfortable AC ride to passengers at less fare as compared to Shivneri buses operating between Pune and Mumbai. At present, there are 790 Shivshahi buses in MSRTC fleet."The Shivshahi buses are in poor condition with non-functional ACs, dirty interiors and frequent breakdowns. MSRTC didn't take any steps to revive them. I travelled in these buses before the Covid-19 pandemic and recently, and there has been a strak decline," Satej Dore, a frequent commuter and a bank employee, told Palke, another frequent commuter, disagreed and said: "Instead of buying new buses, MSRTC should have revamped the existing Shivshahi buses with a fresh look and proper maintenance. If they can't take care of their current fleet, there's no guarantee they'll do better with the new ones."Sources in MSRTC said by year-end, they would be able to take a call on stopping Shivshahi buses. "There have been several complaints about the buses. If the experiment doesn't work, we will think about other options, which can include the revival of these buses," another official said.
