Mumbai CNG issue strands commuters as pipeline rupture halts transport

A severe disruption to Mumbai’s gas supply has plunged the city into a transport crisis, leaving autorickshaws, taxis and school buses stranded and commuters facing a day of chaos. The failure, now entering its second day, stems from damage to a critical pipeline and is not expected to be fully resolved until Tuesday at noon.

The crisis began on Sunday when a key pipeline operated by GAIL, located within the RCF premises in Trombay, was damaged. This line is the primary source of supply for Mahanagar Gas Limited’s (MGL) City Gate Station in Wadala, which distributes gas across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. While domestic piped natural gas supplies have been prioritised and remain unaffected, the commercial supply of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) has been severely hit.

According to a report by Mid-Day, the cascading effects have been immediate and widespread. Of the city’s 389 CNG stations, only 225 were operational on Monday, with many running at low pressure before shutting down completely. This has left the vast majority of the city's CNG-dependent public transport fleet off the roads.

The absence of vehicles has caused immense hardship for Mumbaikars. Those autorickshaws and taxis that were operating, often using limited reserve CNG or petrol, were in high demand. Commuters reported widespread refusals for long-distance trips and exorbitant demands for double or triple the standard fares.

The scale of the disruption is significant. Mumbai is home to approximately 30,000 ‘kaali peeli’ taxis and 2.80 lakh autorickshaws, with the wider metropolitan region boasting over 4.70 lakh such vehicles. With most sidelined, long, snaking queues of vehicles formed at the few functioning CNG stations, such as those near Goregaon on the Western Express Highway.

“Only vehicles with some reserve CNG are operating. Drivers have lost two days of income. MGL must compensate for this loss,” Shashank Sharad Rao, president of the Mumbai Auto Rickshaw and Taximen’s Union, was cites as saying by Mid-Day. He confirmed he has written to the government and the state transport minister on the matter.

The city’s school bus operators are facing a dire situation, casting doubt on Tuesday’s services. Anil Garg, president of the School Bus Owners’ Association, voiced strong criticism, stating that two thousand school buses were stuck without CNG. He was cited by Mid-Day as saying that the association was facing huge losses and that students were suffering as a result.

Garg highlighted the knock-on effects, revealing that private buses were being hired at rates as high as Rs 12,000 for two trips of just 10 kilometres. He questioned the monopoly of MGL and the lack of a timely update mechanism for essential services.

In a contrasting report, a spokesperson for BEST, which operates 1,225 CNG buses, said its services were unaffected on Monday due to sufficient backup stock. However, the spokesperson could not guarantee the same for Tuesday.

The disruption has extended beyond transport. The hotel and restaurant industry has been forced to seek expensive alternatives. Vijay Shetty, general secretary of the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR), said establishments received an email from MGL on Sunday afternoon advising an immediate switch to alternative fuels.

Shetty reportedly explained that many hoteliers had arranged for cylinders or induction stoves wherever possible. He stated that the industry was badly hit as everything depends on gas, adding that some dealers had even increased cylinder rates due to the surge in demand.

With the city’s CNG network crippled, commuters were urged to rely on alternatives, including the 1,273 electric buses, four Metro lines and the suburban rail network. Many app-based cab drivers also switched their vehicles to petrol, passing on the higher fuel cost to passengers.

MGL has stated that full normalisation is expected only after repairs on the GAIL pipeline are completed, projecting a timeline of Tuesday at noon.