With permission to ferry 100 per cent of the seating capacity of passengers in buses from Friday in place, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) said that it was operating around 550 buses in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region from far-off places like Palghar, Raigad and Thane districts. It has also announced special exclusive MSRTC services for women from places like Panvel, Dombivli and Virar from September 21.

MSRTC officials said two passengers are being allowed to sit next to each other as was the norm pre-pandemic, though the limit of five standees in one bus remains unchanged. MSRTC officials said that they were expecting a good response in their ridership and have also launched a campaign, appealing to passengers to take the bus.