Navi Mumbai: The abrupt cancellation of a few services of Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) buses from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai’s World Trade Centre (WTC) at Cuffe Parade is causing major hardship for daily commuters. Despite repeated appeals to NMMT officials and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Commissioner, no action has been taken to restore these critical peak-hour services.
Previously, four buses operated on each route from Navi Mumbai to the WTC. The recent cutback to just one or two buses per route has thrown commuters into disarray, leaving many stranded.
Among the most vocal critics is practicing advocate Shyam Kalyankar, a regular passenger on the now-canceled second bus of Route 108. After speaking with Sunil Jagtap, Depot Manager at the Turbhe NMMT depot, Kalyankar has even warned of taking the matter to the Bombay High Court. The depot manager reportedly blamed mounting losses and a lack of funds for the cuts.
When asked about the impact of the 50% fare reduction for female passengers, officials clarified that the policy is a State Government mandate and cannot be rolled back without official approval. However, this subsidy has unintentionally created a standoff between the State Government and NMMT, leaving commuters caught in the middle.
Interestingly, many female commuters say they are willing to pay the full fare, noting they never requested a discount. Meanwhile, allegations have surfaced accusing NMMT of colluding with private bus operators, with claims that bribes were paid to eliminate certain South Mumbai routes and push commuters toward private options.
To make matters worse, the NMMT website has not updated the revised schedules, misleading passengers further. No formal notification was issued about the cancellations of key buses—110/1 from Kharghar at 7:10 a.m., 106/1 from Panvel at 7:20 a.m., and 108/2 from Nerul at 8:00 a.m., leaving commuters to depend on a Telegram group for updates.
Adding to commuter frustration, the switch from the more comfortable Volvo buses to overcrowded Blue Electric buses has only worsened the experience. With no resolution, many commuters are now considering political action to pressure NMMT to restore services.
