The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) महाराष्ट्र राज्य मार्ग परिवहन महामंडळ was founded in 1960 under Section 3 of the RTC Act 1950 by the Maharashtra state government to strengthen the road transportation network. MSRTC is headquartered at Mumbai, Maharashtra. The operation scale of the MSRTC is remarkable; it has a fleet of more than 21,400 buses and employs more than 12,000 people. More than 70 lakh people use the MSRTC buses on a daily basis for their transportation needs.
MSRTC buses also cater to the last mile connectivity challenges by reaching almost every village that has an adequate road infrastructure. It connects Maharashtra with the neighboring states including Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation tops the list of preferred transportation methods for the citizens of Maharashtra and is also planning to launch more buses to take passengers to every corner of Maharashtra. You can make MSRTC online booking using trusted service providers like the redBus.
Popular Cities to Explore by MSRTC Ticket Booking
The MSRTC buses cover more than 95,000 travel routes across Maharashtra and the neighboring states on a daily basis. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses have a very good frequency and serve passengers throughout the day. One can conveniently make an MSRTC online booking for their destination city using the redBus application or website. Some of the most popular cities covered by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses include:
Popular Travel Routes Covered by MSRTC
Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses cover more than 95,000 travel routes on a daily basis to serve more than 70 lakh daily commuters in and around the state of Maharashtra. Here is a list of some mainstream travel routes one can travel on by MSRTC ticket booking.
The shortest and longest route covered by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses is between Poladpur to Shirur and Kasoda to Shirur. You can easily check the MSRTC bus timings on the redBus application before booking MSRTC ticket for your travel route.
Popular Pilgrimage Destinations with MSRTC
MSRTC special bus services are often available for pilgrimage seekers. With MSRTC buses, pilgrimage seekers from different states can easily access public transportation. It offers ‘Yatra’ services to different pilgrimage sites in cities like Satara, Sangli, Nanded, Nashik, Nagpur, Jalgaon, Dhule, and Buldhana. During festive seasons, many Yatra bus services from MSRTC are available at a discounted rate. Some popular pilgrimage destinations with MSRTC are as follows:
- Balaji Maharaj
- Pimpalgaon Devi
- Mahasiddha Yatra
- Kalamdev Yatra
- Nagai Devi
- Ambika Devi
- Nasik
- Shirdi
- Ganpatipule
- Shani Shingnapur
- Trimbakeshwar
- Ganeshgule
- Bhimashankar
- Ghrushneswar
Pilgrimage sites like Shirdi are quite popular among devotees who want to offer their prayers. You can easily make MSRTC online reservations for your preferred pilgrimage destinations with the redBus portal.
Types of MSRTC buses
With a vision to provide comfortable, safe, and economic transport facilities to the passengers, MSRTC has a fleet of various buses, which operates in Maharashtra and neighboring states. Many MSRTC buses are built in their in-house workshops. MSRTC also runs Volvo and Scania buses under a different name.
All these bus types address the requirements of different categories of passengers and their travel needs. Broadly MSRTC operates the following types of bus services:
- Ordinary- MSRTC Day Ordinary bus service serves all small and big towns of Maharashtra, irrespective of revenue and road conditions. The main target of this bus service is to provide connectivity and convenient travel options to passengers and not to make a profit. A major number of MSRTC buses service under ordinary type.
- Parivartan- MSRTC Parivartan is a value-added service of MSRTC to offer comfortable and cost-effective travel services to a large segment of MSRTC passengers, which gives them a better experience than ordinary buses. The fare for Parivartan services is similar to the ordinary buses.
- Asiad- Asiad is a semi-luxury non-air-conditioned 2x2 bus service. This type of bus operates on certain routes from Pune to other destinations offering comfortable and cost-effective travel services for long journeys.
- Shivneri- Shivneri the key brand for MSRTC. Shivneri Services are air-conditioned sleeper/seater Volvo bus service of MSRTC offering safe, comfortable, and convenient travel options between the major cities of Maharashtra. MSRTC also operates Shivneri across major locations in neighboring states like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa (Panjim), etc.
- Sheetal- Sheetal is the MSRTC new Air Conditions 2X2 Semi Luxury bus service. MSRTC has priced this service optimally to enable the passengers the convenience of the AC journeys.
MSRTC has also partnered with private contractors to run some of its AC buses. Non-AC buses with beds and reclinable seats are also operated by MSRTC. One can view the MSRTC bus type of redBus while booking an e-ticket. The bus types operated by MSRTC are as follows:
- Ordinary buses
- Parivartan buses
- Asiad buses
- City buses
- Shivneri AC buses
- Shivshahi buses
- Non-AC Vithai buses
- Shivai buses
MSRTC Special Bus Services
MSRTC special bus services are often available for pilgrims. For pilgrims and tourists coming to Konkan darshan, Ashtvinayak darshan, Raigad Fort, and Bhimashankar, MSRTC offers special bus services. MSRTC also runs special coach services during festive seasons in Maharashtra. Also, MSRTC provides bus services during national and international events in Maharashtra. One can know more about MSRTC's special bus services via its official website.
Special Tour Packages of MSRTC
On its own level, MSRTC offers tour packages all across India. Tour packages offered by MSRTC contain bus tickets and several curated activities. Some special tour packages of MSRTC are as follows:
- Shrivardhan – Diveaagar – Harihareshwar
- Pune Raigad Ropeway
- Ozar – Lenydri – Malshej Ghat
- Ashtavinayak Darshan
- Mini South India
- Konkan Darshan
MSRTC Bus Pass Info
MSRTC also offers bus passes for passengers. MSRTC bus passes help daily commuters like office workers, students, and laborers. Instead of taking a ticket on the same MSRTC bus, passengers can go for a monthly pass. By doing so, passengers have to pay less fare as compared to taking a ticket daily. Monthly, yearly, and quarterly passes are available for MSRTC buses. One can apply for an MSRTC bus pass via any depot, counter, or office. MSRTC also offers bus passes for four and seven days.
MSRTC Cancellation Charges/Price
MSRTC allows passengers to cancel bus tickets due to a change of plans. However, passengers will have to pay cancellation charges based on their cancellation timing. The general MSRTC cancellation charges are as follows:
- If you cancel an MSRTC bus ticket before 24 hours of departure, you only have to pay 10% of the ticket amount as a cancellation charge.
- If you cancel an MSRTC bus ticket 12-24 hours before the departure, you have to pay 25% of the ticket amount as a cancellation charge.
- If you cancel an MSRTC bus ticket 12-4 hours before the departure, you have to 50% of the ticket amount as a cancellation charge.
- If you cancel an MSRTC bus ticket four (or less) hours before the departure, you will have to pay 100% of the ticket amount as a cancellation charge.
