MSRTC to introduce sleeper buses to its fleet before Ganesh festival

The focus will be on high-demand routes such as Mumbai-Konkan, Pune-Sawantwadi, and Pune-Vengurla. These routes experience significant traffic during the Ganesh festival, especially as many intra-state migrants return to Konkan from cities like Mumbai and Pune to celebrate the festival.

The sleeper buses are being manufactured at MSRTC’s centralised workshop in Pune. The bus chassis is sourced from TATA, while other components have been sourced from local vendors.

This is the first time that MSRTC is introducing sleeper buses. Initially, the plan was to rent sleeper buses from a private contractor. However, due to non-supply of the contracted buses and high demand for sleeper buses, the MSRTC decided to have its own fleet, said Channe.

The newly built sleeper buses will be non-AC and will cost approximately Rs 40 lakh each. They will be equipped with BS6 diesel compliant engines, which are more emission friendly and can travel over 600 kilometres on a single tank. The buses will be designed to accommodate up to 30 passengers.