MSRTC to shun pvt contractors, buy own buses: Sarnaik
The GCC model involves public transport bodies partnering with private agencies to procure, operate and maintain buses.
The minister, while speaking on the sidelines of Commercial Vehicles Forum-2025 in Pune, said, "We want to own our buses. MSRTC aims to procure 5,000 self-owned buses annually, of which 1,000 will be electric smart buses, while the remaining will be diesel-run. We plan to procure 25,000 buses in the next five years."
Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation
(MSRTC) pays a fixed price per km to private agencies for the service. The private players bear the cost of the upkeep of the vehicles.
"The state govt will provide funds to procure the buses. The number of buses in MSRTC's fleet has drastically reduced, so the decision was made to procure our own buses," Sarnaik said.
The state transport body's move comes after it received only 216 e-buses out of the planned 5,150 e-buses from Olectra Greentech and Evey Trans Pvt Ltd. The contract, worth Rs 10,000 crore, was signed in 2023, under which the buses were to be delivered this year.
However, after only 216 of the buses were delivered to the state transport body, Sarnaik ordered the termination of the contract last month. The minister, however, reversed the decision and told the consortium to deliver the buses adhering to a fresh timeline. As per the revised timeline, 625 buses would be delivered to MSRTC in 2025; 2,100 buses in 2026, and the remaining buses in 2027.
The new e-buses will include AI-enabled CCTV cameras that will monitor driver behaviour.
If the driver yawns or uses a cellphone while driving, the system will alert passengers and trigger a danger alarm. Taking into consideration the safety of women passengers, the cameras will also monitor passengers' movements and activities.
"The buses will be equipped with foam-based fire extinguishers and will have systems to prevent unauthorised entry when the buses are parked or locked. Any such attempt will trigger an alarm," Sarnaik said.
At present, MSRTC has around 15,000 buses in its fleet. As many as 2,600 regular buses will be added to the current fleet by the end of the year, and a few existing buses will be scrapped.
Regular commuters, however, said the transport body has been overpromising and underdelivering. "Some or the other plan is being announced each week, but there are no changes on the ground," Girish Sahne, a regular MSRTC commuter, told TOI.
Meanwhile, the minister said the authorities concerned are working on resolving the issue of the Shivajinagar bus stand. "Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar held a meeting recently. The issue will be resolved soon. Also, the plan to redevelop 72 bus stations is in progress. We are focusing on the cleanliness and security of bus depots and stations. After the alleged Swargate rape case, we are focusing on the safety of women.
So, we are looking at smart buses with facilities powered by AI," the minister said.
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