New body to augment public transport in cities

The chief minister gave his nod to establish the authority – the first such in the state – following a presentation by the state transport department during a meeting held at the Sahyadri guest house

Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday approved the establishment of a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) focussed on developing public transport services in cities across Maharashtra. The authority will integrate various modes of public transport, standarise tariffs and improve last mile connectivity. It will be governed by a new law and the government will soon publish a draft bill for the same inviting suggestions from citizens, sources told Hindustan Times.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and State Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde take a ride in the BEST's electric AC bus service after its inauguration, in Mumbai on Friday (CMO Maharashtra - X)

The chief minister gave his nod to establish the authority – the first such in the state – following a presentation by the state transport department during a meeting held at the Sahyadri guest house.

Local authorities such as municipal corporations, state transport corporations, and railways will continue running public transport services while UMTA will handle their planning, monitoring and future development, Fadnavis clarified during Friday’s meeting.

“It is essential to streamline existing public transport services and make them more passenger-centric. This is where UMTA will come in,” the chief minister said during the meeting. The authority will expedite ongoing transport-related projects and standardise fares across various transport services. It will also approve any new transport projects and act as an advisor to the government in the future, the chief minister states.

The authority will be headed by an independent chief executive officer (CEO) and its executive committee will include all mayors and commissioners of municipal corporations.

The state government will soon publish a draft bill pertaining to the functioning of the authority and the final version will be prepared based on feedback from citizens, said Fadnavis.

“The law for this authority should ensure it does not override existing state laws, regulations related to transport services, or central government laws,” the chief minister said.