Despite the Maharashtra government’s promise to ensure bus connectivity to every corner of the state, a major urban corridor between Dombivli and Panvel remains neglected. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has curtailed its services to just four morning trips — two from each side — leaving scores of commuters distressed.
Once a vital route operating from 5.00 am to 8.00 pm, the Panvel-Dombivli service has now become nearly non-functional for most of the day. office-goers, industrial workers, and students are left without reliable transportation, despite a high demand.
Only morning trips
The two buses from Dombivli, departing at 7.00 am and 7.45 am, respectively, do not meet the needs of commuters whose offices start between 9.30 am and 10.00 am. There are no return services in the afternoon or evening, leaving workers stranded at Taloja and Panvel for hours.
Adding to the confusion, the Indira Gandhi Chowk stop — once the official MSRTC starting point in Dombivli — has been taken over by private taxi operators and the service now starts from Bajiprabhu Chowk. However, there is no information counter in Dombivli, and Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Transport (KDMT) officials say they have no role in MSRTC operations.
Kalyan Phata blamed
When contacted, Dnyaneshwar Mhatre, the temporary in-charge of the Panvel bus depot, pointed to severe traffic congestion as the primary reason for the cutback. “The journey between Panvel and Dombivli used to take about two-and-a-half hours earlier. Now, due to massive jams at Kalyan Phata, it takes over five to six hours for a round trip. Drivers and conductors get exhausted and can’t be reassigned for other routes,” he said.
According to Mhatre, buses starting from Ahilya Nagar reach Kalyan on time, but after that, traffic completely halts movement on the Kalyan Phata-Panvel stretch. “This affects both Kalyan-Panvel and Dombivli-Panvel services. We’ve had to reduce trips on the Panvel-Retibandar (Mumbra) route as well,” said Mhatre.
High fare, still no buses
The one-way fare from Kalyan to Panvel on an MSRTC bus is R65, while it costs R61 from Dombivli to Panvel. On the other hand, KDMT buses charge R45 for a Kalyan-Panvel trip via Taloja. But KDMT services are not fully functional either. “Only a few KDMT buses are running via Taloja, and that too not throughout the day,” said a commuter.
The MSRTC buses are expensive, but at least they go directly to Taloja and Panvel. Now with fewer trips, we’re forced to change multiple vehicles, waste time, and risk delays at every junction,” said Sangita Choudhary, a daily commuter who relies on the bus service. “The traffic problem is real, but other bus corporations like NMMT (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport) still manage to run full services. Why is only MSRTC giving up?” asked Manohar Patil, another commuter.
No political will?
No political party has taken up the issue so far, despite its wide impact on voters from Dombivli, Kalyan, Taloja, and Panvel. Passengers say they are forced to rely on overcrowded and unsafe suburban trains or costly shared autorickshaws that lack any regulation.
Commuters demand
>> Restoration of full-day MSRTC services
>> Buses between 8.30 and 9.00 am for office-goers
>> Dedicated and safe starting point in Dombivli
>> Information counter for MSRTC schedules
>> Urgent attention to Kalyan Phata traffic congestion
