15 June,2026 06:31 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The revised fares will now remain in effect until midnight of July 15. Representational Pic
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has extended its 10 per cent seasonal fare hike for ordinary bus services by one month, citing rising fuel prices and increased operational costs.
The revised fares will now remain in effect until midnight of July 15.
The seasonal fare hike was initially introduced on April 15 to manage the summer rush and improve revenue generation, and was scheduled to end on June 15.
However, the corporation has decided to extend the measure due to continued pressure from rising fuel prices and higher expenditure following revisions to employees' dearness allowance.
Under the extended structure, fares for ordinary and midi bus services will remain at Rs 11.05 per stage, while the minimum fare has been set at Rs 14 for adult passengers and Rs 7 for children.
MSRTC has issued instructions to all divisional controllers and regional managers to ensure immediate implementation of the revised fare structure across the state.
Meanwhile, the Petroleum Ministry has assured there is sufficient supply of petrol, diesel, LPG and natural gas in the country and urged citizens and industry to use energy responsibly, reported ANI.
Joint Secretary Sujata Sharma, speaking at an Inter-Ministerial press briefing, appealed for energy conservation and asked bulk industrial and commercial consumers to purchase diesel from their consumer pumps to reduce pressure on retail outlets.
The appeal comes as the government put a temporary order in place to ease congestion at retail pumps. Sharma explained that the supply of petrol, diesel and LPG remains stable and refineries are operating at optimum capacity, with crude inventories maintained.
The strain stems from a shift in offtake: about 42 crore litres of diesel that earlier moved through bulk or consumer pumps shifted to retail outlets in May, creating supply issues at some locations.
To protect common consumers, the government issued a budget notification on June 11, capping retail diesel sales at 200 litres per person per day. Industrial and commercial users have been directed to source from their own consumer pumps. Sharma clarified this is a temporary order for about 90 days and has been brought in to save the common consumer from inconvenience, stressing there is no shortage of petrol and diesel.
LPG supply is also back in balance. In the last four days, 1.66 crore bookings were received and 1.84 crores delivered, bringing the backlog down to 3.3 days. Commercial LPG sales stood at 24,184 tons in the period, while 2.18 lakh 5 kg cylinders were sold, including 14,500 through camps.
On PNG, 9.76 lakh connections have been gasified since March, and infrastructure has been created for 3.19 lakh more, with 9.72 lakh new customers registered.
(With ANI inputs)
