13 May,2026 07:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Passenger associations say slashing fares will result in more ridership. FILE PIC
Mumbai's railway passenger associations have appealed to Indian Railways to further reduce fares on AC local trains, saying cheaper tickets would encourage more commuters to shift from private vehicles to public transport. They have announced plans to submit a formal memorandum to the Ministry of Railways in the coming weeks, along with ridership and cost benefit proposals. The demand comes in response to the prime minister's recent push to prioritise mass transit options and reduce congestion and pollution in major cities. Meanwhile, a few others cautioned that there was a need to increase AC services before bringing down fares to avoid overcrowding.
As of May 2026, the BEST fleet comprises about 2700 buses, with over 85 per cent being wet-leased from private contractors. BEST, which operates one of the city's largest public bus networks, has seen its finances deteriorate over the years due to various costs, staff expenditure, and competition from other modes of transport.
About 148,955 commuters used AC services in 2025. FILE PIC/NIMESH DAVE
The undertaking faces a severe financial crisis with accumulated losses reaching approximately '9500 crore, according to reports from early 2025. The agency is heavily dependent on BMC subsidies, relying on monthly bailouts of '100 crore to function, and also loans.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (May 11) reiterated his appeal to citizens to adopt austerity measures to reduce pressure on India's economy amid rising tensions in West Asia, urging people to conserve fuel. The prime minister urged citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption by using public transport, electric buses, and carpooling.
Siddhesh Desai, vice- president, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh
âAC locals offer better comfort and frequency, but their higher season ticket fares continue to push many middle-income commuters back to cars and bikes. The chief minister had already promised it. Now is the time. If AC local fares are brought closer to the non AC first class experience, it will become a realistic daily option for lakhs of people'
The associations point to the 2022 fare slash, when single journey AC local tickets on key corridors were cut by about 50 per cent, as a precedent. While those reductions improved ridership, season ticket rates for AC locals remain steep because they are treated as a premium service rather than a mainline public transit option. Passenger groups are urging the railway ministry to frame a long term fare policy that explicitly treats AC locals as part of the mass transit ecosystem.
Railway officials have so far not indicated any immediate change in the AC train fare structure. Officials stated that if fares are compared, AC local fares work out to be cheaper per km than other modes of transit in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Since the introduction of AC local services on Mumbai's Western Railway in the financial year 2017-18, with an initial 10,403 passengers, ridership has seen a upward trajectory. While the numbers grew steadily to over 18,400 by 2019, the pandemic caused a sharp decline to 1954 passengers in 2020-21. However, the post-pandemic recovery has been exponential; ridership surged from nearly 6000 in 2021-22 to a staggering 148,955 by 2025-26.
Rajiv Singal, member, Western Railway Mumbai's Divisional Railway Users' Consultative Committee
âThe Railways should bring it down so that it is only 20 per cent higher than regular trains. That is when the passengers will abandon their vehicles and come to the railways. I suggest that as the demand increases, the railways ought to convert the regular services to AC ones, and along with that, they could simultaneously reduce the number of first-class coaches and convert them into general ones to accommodate regular passengers'
Shailesh Goyal, former member, National Railway Users Consultative Committee
âNow is not the time. AC locals are overcrowded and facing issues of door closing. Bringing the fare down will burden them more. I suggest a more studied approach of adding new AC services first and then converting them, and only then tweaking fares'
Madhu Kotian, member, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh
âThis is the right time to prove the prime minister's words. The AC local should be encouraged, and that's when people will abandon their cars and use the train. We have appealed to the railways to bring down the fares to maintain equality among commuters'
Lata Argade, president, Suburban Railway Passengers' Federation
âThis is the chance not only to lower AC fares, but to improve the condition of public transport. I appeal to the PM to study the public transport system and ensure that everyone travels safely. The Metros beyond Kalyan and in MMR have been delayed. Local trains are overcrowded, and people are falling off'
Nandkumar Deshmukh, former president, Mumbai Suburban Railway Passengers' Federation
âThe number of AC locals has to go up, and then the fare brought down. There is no point waiting for AC locals for long hours due to low frequency. The government has to put its words into action'
