No plans to discontinue AC 'Shivhhahi' bus services, says MSRTC

Mumbai, Dec 2 (PTI) The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Monday said there is no plan to discontinue the air-conditioned 'Shivshahi' bus service.

Last week a Shivshahi bus had met with an accident in Gondia district, leaving 11 passengers, including a woman police constable, dead.

A MSRTC spokesperson said there are currently 792 Shivshahi buses, which do no have any technical issue.

"Hence, there is no plan to discontinue these buses from the fleet," he said.

A senior MSRTC official told PTI while there is no plan to discontinue Shivshahi buses, the state-run undertaking is mulling to convert some of them into non-AC semi-luxury buses.

In the past, several Shivshahi buses have been involved in accidents, while some have been gutted in fire incidents.

Frequent breakdowns, poor fuel economy, and weak air conditioning are some of the major complaints about these buses, sources said.

The Shivshahi service was introduced on June 10, 2017 with the first bust being operated on the Mumbal-Ratnagiri route. The corporation had added 500 self-owned and 580 hired Shivshahi buses to its fleet by the end of the year.

MSRTC is one of the largest transport corporations in the country, with a fleet of 15,000 buses and ferries for more than 55 lakh passengers every day. PTI KK BNM