Overview
- The State Transport Authority approved a 13.56% revision that MSRTC will implement from midnight between Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18, and the earlier 10% seasonal surcharge will be withdrawn.
- MSRTC first imposed a temporary 10% seasonal hike on April 15 and extended that charge while the STA considered a larger, permanent adjustment.
- The corporation said the rise responds to higher diesel prices, bigger employee allowances, and steep increases in tyres, spare parts and maintenance costs.
- MSRTC runs more than 14,000 buses carrying over 5.5 million passengers a day and uses about 10.87 lakh litres of diesel daily, with 21 of its 31 divisions currently loss-making.
- Unions and commuters have objected to affordability and ticketing: unions want fares rounded to the nearest ₹5 to reduce conductor disputes, and daily riders say repeated hikes add strain to household budgets.