Passengers traveling from Thane to Pune had a rough start to their day on Wednesday as nine e-Shivneri buses were stuck at the Khalapur toll plaza. The buses, all from the Swargate depot, were unable to cross the toll booth due to issues with their FASTag stickers. This led to delays and inconvenience for the commuters on board.
According to a passenger on one of the buses, the vehicles were halted for nearly 15 minutes as the drivers struggled with the malfunctioning FASTag stickers. As more buses arrived, passengers were asked to switch to alternative buses to continue their journey. Approximately 43 passengers on the stalled bus, along with others on subsequent buses, were affected by the incident.
Passengers were informed by toll authorities that the problem might be due to insufficient balance on their FASTag accounts, potentially resulting in double payment if the system was not operational. To resolve the issue, passengers pooled funds to cover the toll charges, only to find out that the FASTag started working again, allowing the buses to pass through the toll booth.
Despite the problem being resolved, passengers had to endure an hour and a half delay at the toll plaza, prompting frustration among the commuters. One passenger highlighted the need for MSRTC to address operational challenges promptly, while another questioned the consistency of the issue across all buses.
Pramod Nehul, divisional controller of MSRTC, Pune, confirmed the incident and attributed the problem to bank-related issues affecting FASTag deductions. He assured that the matter had been resolved with daily transfers of funds into FASTag accounts.
In a separate announcement, state transport officials revealed plans to introduce six electric AC Shivneri buses for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) route between Mumbai and Pune. These new services aim to provide commuters with a time-saving alternative for travel between the two cities.
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