GSRTC Faces Over ₹300 Crore Financial Burden Amid Rising Fuel and Maintenance Costs

The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) faces an additional financial burden exceeding ₹300 crore in the current financial year. Rising diesel prices, higher expenditure on spare parts, and increased salary and allowance payouts for employees have driven the state-run transport body deeper into fiscal stress.

Diesel consumption alone is projected to cost the corporation approximately ₹2,300 crore this year. Officials estimate an extra outlay of ₹250 crore strictly due to fuel price trends, alongside another ₹35 crore required for bus maintenance and spare parts.

Alternative Revenue Streams and Asset Monetisation

To bridge the yawning deficit, the transport authority has initiated a shift toward alternative income sources. The corporation plans to raise ₹50 crore by auctioning and selling off old, decommissioned buses as scrap.

Additional revenue targets include generating ₹26 crore through courier and parcel services alongside online booking commissions. Furthermore, collecting stoppage fees from private hotels and dhabas along national highways is expected to bring in roughly ₹27 crore.

Employee Costs and Future Fare Uncertainty

Operational pressures compound as staff salary and allowance revisions add another ₹10 crore to annual expenditures. While management focuses on modernising bus stations and passenger amenities, the mounting fiscal deficit leaves commuters anxious. Observers note that sustained financial strain may eventually force authorities to consider public fare revisions to balance the books.