Mumbai CNG disruption: With autos and taxis, BEST buses to also take a hit today; Check latest update

A day after a gas pipeline was damaged in Chembur, commuters across Mumbai struggled to find autos, taxis, private cabs and even school buses on Monday, with many CNG refuelling stations in the MMR still shut. The disruption is expected to deepen on Tuesday, as nearly 44% of the CNG-powered BEST bus fleet may also go off the roads, further straining the city’s transport network. Transportation officials added that several autos and taxis will remain unavailable, while the crisis has also hit more than 5 lakh private CNG vehicle owners in the region, reported TOI.

Mumbai CNG: Are services still hit?

An MGL spokesperson told TOI that domestic PNG (cooking gas) would not be impacted though. "Currently, out of MGL's total 389 gas stations, 225 are operating. The rectification work is in progress, and the restoration of gas supply is expected by Tuesday noon," she added.

BEST was able to run its CNG buses on Monday using fuel stocked at the Anik depot from the previous night, but an official said there was no fuel left for refuelling on Monday night. While most aggregator cabs, including Ola and Uber, could switch to petrol using their dual-fuel option, commuters still faced surge pricing, with fares spiking up to 2x in several areas.


The CNG crisis began on Sunday afternoon after “third-party damage” to GAIL India Ltd’s gas pipeline at the RCF terminal in Chembur, which disrupted supply to Mahanagar Gas Ltd’s (MGL) Wadala station.

According to School Bus Owners’ Association president Anil Garg, around 2,000 school buses in the MMR region run on CNG and had to stay off the roads, leaving many students stranded. In recent years, a significant number of school buses have shifted from diesel to CNG.

Andheri resident Suheil Merchant told TOI, "My wife had a harrowing time dropping my little one to the class, as she had to walk back from Vile Parle West to Andheri West. The school van operator also cancelled today's pick-up and drop for the afternoon school."

"Share autos operating for Bandra-Kurla Complex from Kurla and Bandra stations were fleecing us with exorbitant fares of Rs 50-60 per passenger, citing the CNG crisis," said Vijay Bhandari, an office-goer. Autos and taxis, which were plying, demanded excess fares while those outside pumps waited in 1-2 km long queues with other CNG vehicles, with drivers uncertain when refuelling would resume. "I have been waiting since 5:30am outside a Bhandup pump and it is 1pm, and there is so much confusion, with nobody telling us the timeline when services will restart," Ashwin Surve, an auto driver told TOI.

What is the current situation?

Petrol Dealers' Association president Chetan Modi told TOI on Sunday, gas supply was restored at 70% of pumps around 9-10pm. "We had a long queue outside our pump after which the police were called and the supply was stopped at midnight. We resumed supply in the morning for some time, but the pressure of gas was low and had to shut completely," he said.

Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union president Thampy Kurien said the MGL should have arranged for alternate gas supply such as one from Mahape so that in such a crisis situation, they can switch to the second line and keep autos, taxis, and other vehicles running across the city. "We had demanded this through our petitions in the past." He added that there was a daily loss in earnings of Rs 400 to Rs 1,500 per driver for autos-taxis, with the city having nearly 20,000 taxis and 300,000 autos in Greater Mumbai alone.

In Thane, only one of the four MGL-run CNG pumps — the one at Khopat — was operational, forcing motorists to line up for hours, with some saying they left without getting fuel. The Thane Municipal Transport, which has 25–30% of its fleet running on CNG, said it could manage operations only until Tuesday morning.

Navi Mumbai also saw a major hit to CNG supply, causing severe inconvenience to motorists over the past two days. Satyam Upadhyay, a cab operator from Ghansoli, said he has been unable to work since Sunday while closely tracking updates on supply restoration. The shortage led to long, snaking queues at filling stations across the city, leaving many drivers without earnings.