MSRTC to convert 7 Shivshahi buses into regular non-AC vehicles

Pune: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation(MSRTC) will convert seven Shivshahi buses into non-air-conditioned semi-luxury vehicles, signalling the start of discontinuing the previously prestigious Shivshahi service."The decision in this regard was taken in the board meeting on Monday. Accordingly, the seven Shivshahi buses will be converted intonon-AC semi-luxury vehicleson an experimental basis. The buses will be redesigned to resemble MSRTC's Hirkani semi-luxury vehicles," a senior MSRTC official said. Abhijit Bhosle, the public relations officer of MSRTC, confirmed the development too.TOI, in its report last month, had reported that MSRTC was looking to stop Shivshahi operations and convert them into non-AC buses. The first batch of Shivshahi buses rolled out in 2017 to provide a comfortable AC ride to passengers at less fare as compared to Shivneri buses operating between Pune and Mumbai.At present, there are 790 Shivshahi buses in MSRTC fleet."The Shivshahi buses are in poor condition with non-functional ACs, dirty interiors and frequent breakdowns. MSRTC didn't take any steps to revive them. I travelled in these buses before the Covid-19 pandemic and recently, and there has been a strak decline," Satej Dore, a frequent commuter and a bank employee, told TOI.Jatin Palke, another frequent commuter, disagreed and said: "Instead of buying new buses, MSRTC should have revamped the existing Shivshahi buses with a fresh look and proper maintenance. If they can't take care of their current fleet, there's no guarantee they'll do better with the new ones."Sources in MSRTC said by year-end, they would be able to take a call on stopping Shivshahi buses. "There have been several complaints about the buses. If the experiment doesn't work, we will think about other options, which can include the revival of these buses," another official said.