MSRTC turns the tide on changed ethos

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has managed to clock an operating profit of Rs 160 crore in 2007-08, thereby improving the conventional images of state road transport corporations such as dirty buses, broken windowpanes, leaking roofs, besides being a loss-incurring utility.

“We made it clear to our staff that the corporation won’t survive if we don’t change our ways and means to function...they raised their sense of belonging and duty towards the corporation which is one of the major reasons why we managed to turn the tide,” said O P Gupta, managing director, MSRTC.

The turnaround has boosted confidence of the corporation’s 120,000-odd employees, says Gupta, adding the management is now more willing to listen to their grievances besides accepting their suggestions for improving the performance.

“The biggest source of our income is from ticket sales, and to improve this we need to attract more passengers. To attract more passengers, we have given utmost importance to cleanliness at bus stands and rationalising the schedule of bus service according to demands of passengers. This has improved the corporation’s income from ticket sales to Rs 3,250 crore (in 2007-08) from Rs 3,046 crore in 2006-07,” Gupta elaborated.

The MSRTC top boss also pointed out that the corporation’s next target “will be to wipe out all our accumulated losses, which have now been reduced to around Rs 600 crore, over the next two to three financial years to become a truly profitable orgnisation”.