From a wooden bus with a 9-paise fare to 160 crore passengers: The 78-year journey of Maharashtra’s ‘Laal Pari’

Before the MSRTC grew into one of the country’s largest public road transport networks, its buses were wooden. Drivers and conductors wore khaki with peaked caps. (Credit: MSRTC)

Before the ST

Through the 1920s and 1930s, Maharashtra’s roads were served by private entrepreneurs with no fixed rules, no standard fares, and no accountability. The Motor Vehicles Act of 1939 brought some order. Private operators were organised into unions, given defined routes, fixed schedules, and standardised fares. But it remained a private arrangement with obvious limits.

By 1948, the Government of Bombay State stepped in directly, launching ‘State Transport Bombay’. The first fleet comprised 30 Bedford buses with wooden bodies and coir seats, along with an eclectic mix of Chevrolet, Ford, Leyland, Fiat, and six other makes. Drivers and conductors wore khaki uniforms with peaked caps.

In the early 1950s, two luxury Morris Commercial coaches, Neelkamal and Giriyarohini, were introduced on the Pune-Mahabaleshwar route, featuring two-by-two seating, curtains, tinted green glass, and an onboard clock. They were the business class of their era.

In 1950, the Central Government’s Road Transport Corporations Act enabled states to set up autonomous corporations. The Bombay State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) was formally incorporated, and after state reorganisation in 1956, it was renamed MSRTC.

As competition intensified, MSRTC responded with air-conditioned and electric buses. An all-electric fleet of Shivai buses at Swargate charging station. (File Photo)

‘Laal Pari’ is born

The decades that followed brought steady transformation. Wooden bodies gave way to steel, then aluminium—steel corroded too quickly, especially on coastal routes. Seating capacity grew from 30 to between 45 and 54. In 1960, the colour scheme changed from blue-and-silver to red. The ‘Laal Pari’, the Red Fairy, was born.

Partial night services launched in 1956; full overnight services followed a decade later; and the semi-luxury category arrived in 1982, coinciding with the Asian Games.

The ST was never just about moving people. It carried postal mail, medicines, newspapers, and tiffin boxes to students in cities, and helped farmers transport produce to urban markets.

From AC to electric

As private competition intensified, MSRTC responded with the air-conditioned Shivneri, Volvo 9400R and Scania Metrolink, and e-Shivai coaches, on key intercity routes. In March 2026, it launched the Rajmata Jijau service, a 3×2-seating AC bus with a 56-passenger capacity. A full transition to electric buses is targeted by 2035. Today, the fleet stands at 16,199 buses carrying around 160 crore passengers annually.

The MSRTC’s Pune Division felicitated drivers at the 78th anniversary function on Monday, honouring them for 25 or more years of accident-free service.

Honouring the road warriors

Monday’s function was also a felicitation. Thirty-five Pune Division drivers, each with 25 or more years of accident-free service, were honoured alongside their spouses with a Rs 25,000 cheque, a safe service badge, a certificate, a memento, and a saree for their partners. The ceremony was presided over by Regional Manager Amruta Tamhankar, Divisional Controller Arun Siya, and Dhanrale.