Pune: Who’s Responsible? MSRTC Sells Tickets For Bus Route Shut Down Two Years Ago

Swargate, 3rd June 2025: A newlywed couple, who tied the knot with much fanfare just eight days ago, faced a disappointing start to their honeymoon plans when they attempted to travel to Mahabaleshwar. Having made an online reservation for their journey with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), they arrived at the Swargate bus depot in Pune on the day of travel.

After waiting for nearly 30 to 45 minutes, the expected bus failed to arrive. When they inquired with depot officials, they were shocked to learn that the Swargate-Mahabaleshwar e-Shivai bus service had been discontinued nearly two years ago.

This unexpected revelation left the couple distressed and disrupted their plans. The incident raises serious concerns about the MSRTC’s online booking system, which continues to allow reservations for non-operational routes, causing unnecessary inconvenience to passengers.

MSRTC operates a variety of bus services, including standard (Ashwamedh, Hirkani, Vitthai), semi-luxury, and premium air-conditioned and sleeper coaches such as Shivneri, Shivshahi, e-Shivneri, and e-Shivai. The corporation, which operates under the motto “For the service of passengers,” has recently seen a rise in ridership, particularly among women and senior citizens who benefit from travel concessions. This has contributed to increased revenue, with approximately 45 to 48 lakh commuters traveling daily on around 14,000 buses.

For ticket reservations, passengers typically rely on the official MSRTC website https://msrtc.maharashtra.gov.in or the dedicated app. However, many routes either do not appear or allow bookings despite services being suspended. In some cases, although the route is operational, the specific reserved service is replaced with a different bus (such as a regular or Shivneri service), where the pre-booked tickets are not accepted.