MSRTC has planned 5,220 additional bus trips from the Mumbai region for Ganeshotsav travel to Konkan, with 5,741 buses already booked through advance and group reservations as of September 5, according to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai.
The additional services will operate from the Mumbai, Thane and Palghar divisions between September 9 and 14. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation expects the largest passenger rush on September 11 and 12. Special arrangements for return journeys will be available between September 19 and 27.
Of the 5,741 buses reserved, 5,184 have been booked through group reservations and 557 through individual reservations. The Thane division accounts for the largest share, with 3,077 buses booked, followed by the Mumbai division with 1,987 and the Palghar division with 677.
The transport corporation is deploying additional operational measures for the festival traffic. Sandeep Patil, divisional traffic officer from the Raigad division, has been appointed as the journey-in-charge for the additional services. A review meeting for officials and supervisory staff is scheduled at the Kurla Nehru Nagar depot on September 9.
Drivers and conductors will be briefed on the use of e-ticketing machines, control rooms, restaurants, repair teams and route maps. The corporation said buses would be supplied with diesel and compressed natural gas to full capacity before departure. Special fuel arrangements have also been planned at Igatpuri, Shahapur, Murbad, Vallabhnagar and Panvel for buses arriving from Nashik, Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Round-the-clock mobile repair teams and breakdown vans will be stationed at key locations in Konkan, including along the Mumbai-Goa highway. Parking, drinking water and toilet facilities are being arranged for drivers and conductors arriving from other regions. MSRTC has also prepared alternative routes in anticipation of possible natural disasters and traffic congestion.
Reservations for special buses are available through the corporation’s official website, the MSRTC Bus Reservation mobile application and reservation counters at bus stations. Group bookings are open for groups of at least 40 passengers. Under the group reservation system, women and senior citizens are eligible for a 50% fare concession, while Amrit senior citizens are eligible for a full fare concession.
The review meeting at the Kurla Nehru Nagar depot on September 9 is the next scheduled milestone in MSRTC’s preparations for the additional Ganeshotsav services.
