The new low-cost MSRTC AC buses that will criss-cross the state will be painted white and shades of saffron, a State Transport Authority (STA) decision that is likely to rake up some controversy.
The STA has approved the new design and colour scheme — white buses with the graphics and brand name Shivshahi painted in a bold saffron — at a recent meeting chaired by transport secretary Sudhir Srivastava.
The design below the windows will have two large stripes; the bigger one painted saffron and the other, brown. It will show four horses running and three saffron flags. The brand name, Shivshahi or the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji, will be written in the Devanagari script. On the birth anniversary of Shiv Sena founder, the late Bal Thackeray, the MSRTC had showcased the Shivshahi buses and their design, which have now been finalised.
The colour scheme of any public transport vehicle needs an STA nod. A transport official told HT the proposal to approve this colour scheme came to the STA from MSRTC, chaired by Sena leader and transport minister Diwakar Raote. Sources said STA approved the proposal without changes.
MSRTC sources said the buses will be equipped with WiFi, CCTV, reading light, a 9-inch TV screen for each passenger, mobile and laptop chargers and ferry passengers on major routes within the state. With 18,000 vehicles, MSRTC is the largest public transport undertaking in the country, ferrying more than 60 lakh passengers across the state every day. It has fleet of over 100 sky-blue coloured ultra-luxury AC buses called Shivneri and Ashwamedh.
