As part of a sweeping operational overhaul, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has begun a close review of loss-making bus routes, triggering concerns that rural and semi-urban areas may bear the brunt of revenue-driven reforms. Under the newly-introduced Panchsutri Action Plan, depots have been instructed to identify services with low per-kilometre earnings and implement “corrective measures” to improve financial performance. While the corporation insists the exercise is aimed at efficiency and sustainability, observers and commuters fear that poorly performing routes, often those serving remote villages, students and daily wage earners, could face reduced frequency, rescheduling or quiet withdrawal.

 

 

According to the circular, depots must conduct daily reviews of route-wise income and make changes where earnings fall below the minimum cost threshold. This includes altering timings, merging services or reallocating buses to higher-demand routes. Officials say the move is necessary to bridge the gap between operating costs and income, which has widened steadily over the past year. However, many of the routes flagged as low-income operate in tribal, drought-prone and sparsely populated regions, where passenger numbers are limited but dependence on public transport is high. “These buses may not be profitable, but they are essential,” said a transport analyst. “For many villages, one or two MSRTC buses a day are the only link to education, healthcare and markets.”

 

 

Commuters worry that decisions taken on spreadsheets may ignore social realities. Students travelling to taluka towns and workers commuting to nearby industrial pockets fear longer waits and overcrowding on the remaining services. Commuters availing the bus services regularly have also cautioned that frequent route changes could create confusion and erode public trust in the State-run operator. MSRTC officials maintain that services will not be discontinued arbitrarily and that, passenger feedback will be considered while revising schedules. Yet, with depots under pressure to cut losses and meet daily revenue targets, the coming months will test whether financial discipline can be balanced with MSRTC’s long-standing role as rural Maharashtra’s transport backbone.