'No CNG, Double Rates!': Fuel Supply Snag Throws Mumbai Commute Into Chaos; Fare Surge, Long Rides Denied To Travellers During Peak Morning Hours

Mumbai: Mumbai woke up to severe commute disruption on Monday as a widespread CNG supply shortage left several fuel pumps across the city non-operational or functioning with limited output. The unexpected outage resulted in a sharp drop in the availability of autos, kaali-peeli taxis and app-based cabs, pushing commuters into long waits, inflated fares and overcrowded public-transport alternatives like trains and metros during peak office and school hours.

Netizens React To Major Inconvenience Due To CNG Supply Disruption

The shortage triggered a wave of commuter frustration online, with users posting videos, screenshots and complaints related to refusal of rides and steep fare demands. One user wrote, “No CNG double rates. Why don’t you declare public loot official? Daily fight, new challenge, struggle.”

Another commuter shared, “Autos in Mumbai charging 2x-3x the normal rate because of CNG shortage… as an office goer, you don’t have any option but to agree.” Parents too expressed helplessness, stating that limited transport availability had disrupted school drop-offs, labelling it “a manic Monday.”

A commuter informed FPJ that cab drivers have been charging Rs 500 from Andheri East to BKC this morning. The issue extended throughout all parts of MMR including Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar. Ria Sharma, a commuter from Mira-Bhayandar said, "The CNG supply disruption has hit commuter movement sharply. There were no rickshaws in Mira Road to even reach the station. Many office-goers like me experienced long delays waiting for autos."

The impact was visible as early as dawn, with hundreds of auto-rickshaws, taxis and aggregator vehicles lining up outside petrol pumps in multiple pockets of Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. Social media was flooded with visuals and eyewitness accounts showing kilometre-long queues snaking around petrol pumps, with adjoining roads clogged due to parked transport vehicles waiting for their turn to refuel. Many drivers claimed they had been waiting through the night or for several hours without clarity on when full supply would resume.

According to reports, the disruption was caused by damage to a gas pipeline inside the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) plant premises, reportedly affecting GAIL’s main supply line and resulting in reduced gas flow to Mahanagar Gas Limited’s (MGL) City Gate Station at Wadala. The reduced pressure forced multiple CNG stations to temporarily halt or ration supply, impacting the city’s public-transport backbone that predominantly relies on CNG.

Mahanagar Gas Limited later confirmed that domestic piped natural gas (PNG) had been prioritised to ensure uninterrupted household supply, and stated that efforts were underway to gradually restore normal CNG distribution across its network.

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