‘Passenger comfort is non-negotiable’: Pratap Sarnaik directs MSRTC to cancel contracts of unhygienic and costly hotels on bus routes

“Such stopovers are used by long-distance state transport buses where commuters usually stop to take refreshment or washroom breaks. Many complaints, however, have been made regarding unhygienic conditions, stale and overcharged food, and even rudeness by hotel staff at some of these places,” said an MSRTC spokesperson.

Many travellers have complained of being compelled to eat at certain hotels despite bad services due to limited options, the spokesperson added.

Responding to this, Sarnaik directed MSRTC officials to carry out a detailed state-wide survey of all the existing hotel-motel stopovers. He sought a detailed survey of passenger experience and facilities available and to report within 15 days. He told the officials that if the current stopovers are substandard, other better ones have to be found and sanctioned.

He also clarified that while MSRTC earns some revenue from hotel partnerships, these cannot come at the cost of passenger convenience and health. “Passenger comfort is non-negotiable,” Sarnaik reportedly said.

The order is part of a larger initiative by the transport department to enhance the overall quality of long-distance travel across Maharashtra. The government plans to make sure that each stop on every route is a decent and trustworthy experience for commuters, said the spokesperson.

“We have initiated preparations for conducting the survey and we are likely to re-evaluate partnerships in all districts in the next few days,” added the spokesperson.

The Maharashtra government appointed Sarnaik, a minister from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, as MSRTC chairman last week, two months after a bureaucrat’s appointment to the position allegedly caused unrest within the ruling Mahayuti coalition. He succeeded Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Sethi, whose appointment was against the norm that the transport minister also heads MSRTC.