The city may witness a tussle between municipal transport bodies and private bus operators over Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority’s (MMRTA) decision to allow free movement of private buses in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) on a single contract carriage permit. Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana(MBMS), a body of private bus operators, has written a letter to the MMRTA, in which it has refuted all the claims of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply Transport (BEST) about freeing movement of private bus operators in MMR. In the meeting on July 8, MMRTA decided that there was no need for a new contract carriage permit every time a bus enters from the jurisdiction of one RTO to another. It had allowed private buses to move freely in the MMR, just by taking up a single contract carriage permit. “Since, the permits issued to us and BEST are totally different, there is no chance of adverse effects on its earning,” said Patel, adding that BEST has been given stage carriage permits, while private buses ply on the contract carriage permit.

Source: Hindustan Times September 07, 2016 14:26 UTC