A vital state-run bus corridor connecting Dombivli and Panvel is on the verge of collapse, with Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) operating only four trips daily, severely impacting thousands of commuters. Once active from early morning till evening, the service has now been reduced to a skeletal schedule, disrupting mobility across a key industrial and residential axis.
Despite the state government’s push to improve public transport in peri-urban areas, the Dombivli–Panvel link has been left with minimal service, forcing passengers to rely on overcrowded trains and irregular private transport. The current MSRTC frequency offers just two buses from each side in the morning, leaving no option for return journeys during peak or late hours. According to senior transport officials, the primary bottleneck lies in the crippling congestion at Kalyan Phata. Travel time on the stretch has doubled from two-and-a-half hours to over five hours, making it unviable for drivers to return for additional trips. Exhausted crews and stretched operations have further discouraged consistent deployment, officials added.
Commuters, including industrial workers from Taloja and Panvel, have voiced frustration over high fares and poor connectivity. With KDMT services also sparse and inconsistent, many are compelled to change multiple vehicles or depend on shared autorickshaws, often paying higher fares without safety assurance. The original Dombivli boarding point, Indira Gandhi Chowk, is now occupied by private taxis, with no formal information centre for state transport users. Bus services now begin from Bajiprabhu Chowk, confusing new riders. Officials from KDMT clarified they play no operational role in the MSRTC service.
Despite its growing significance, the corridor has seen little political attention. No local leaders have yet addressed the issue, even as transport gaps persist across Kalyan, Dombivli, Taloja and Panvel. In the absence of a multi-modal integration strategy, transport experts caution that neglecting such critical suburban corridors may undermine the state’s ambitions for sustainable urban mobility. Enhancing bus frequency, resolving traffic chokepoints, and rationalising fare structures must be prioritised to improve connectivity and ease commuter stress.
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