Navi Mumbai: The office goers travelling from Navi Mumbai to World Trade Centre by Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) buses via freeway face daily traffic snarls, particularly at Vashi toll naka and Eastern Freeway resulting in delays to work.
To avoid the daily hassles the commuters demanded regular NMMT bus service at frequent intervals to the World Trade Center (WTC) via Mumbai Transharbour Link Road, also known as Atal Setu.
Considering the demand of the passengers and to compete with the 'Chalo AC' bus service operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking and other private operators from Navi Mumbai to Colaba/Mantralaya, NMMT early last month distributed a form seeking feedback from the commuters about their proposed bus service from Navi Mumbai to WTC via Atal Setu.
As per NMMT’s commitment, they flagged off two new bus services from Navi Mumbai via Atal Setu. Bus No.116 from Nerul Bus depot and No. 117 from Sector 35 in Khargar on September 12, 2024. Passengers eagerly waiting to travel to WTC via Atal Setu were taken for a surprise and shocked to note the ticket fare of Rs. 230 for route No.116 and Rs. 270 for route No. 117.
Few passengers after boarding the bus started alighting immediately after knowing the high fare. Several commuters said the fare of NMMT bus service is almost more than double the fare that of private bus operators and Chalo and definitely not affordable for a common middle class people.
In case if the NMMT is reluctant to reduce the fares at par with private bus operators, it will have to discontinue the services very soon for want of passenger patronage.
