Verified: 26 April 2026 01:30 am IST
Industry: Public Transport (State Road Transport Corporation)
Jurisdiction: Maharashtra, India
Primary Regulator: Transport Department, Government of Maharashtra
Important Safety Warning: Beware of the massive “Refund SMS Scam.” Scammers frequently send SMS or WhatsApp messages stating: “Dear Passenger, your MSRTC ticket refund has failed. Please click this link or call our officer immediately to process your money.” This is a scam. Authentic MSRTC staff will never send alerts from a personal 10-digit mobile number, nor will they ask you to download screen-sharing apps or pay via personal UPI links.
Level 1: Customer Support (Initial Complaint)
How to complain: Register your complaint (ticket refunds, bus delays, staff behavior) directly via the official MSRTC Bus Reservation mobile app, the official web portal (public.msrtcors.com), or by calling the 24/7 centralized customer care toll-free helpline at 1800-22-1250. For specific online reservation and e-ticketing technical support, you must call their dedicated booking desk at 07738087103 or email them at msrtchelpdesk@gmail.com and porssupportmsrtc@ebixcash.com.
Availability: The central 1800 helpline and online portals operate 24x7. Official Bus Station Enquiry desks and Depot Managers operate during standard daytime hours.
Timeline: Standard service requests and refund initiations must be acknowledged immediately. MSRTC aims to process online refunds within 14 days and resolve standard operational grievances within 7 to 15 working days.
Source Verification: MSRTC Official Customer Care Contact Information
Level 2: Internal Escalation (Depot Manager / Divisional Controller)
Who to contact: If Level 1 support fails, your refund is stalled, or your ticket is closed without a fix, you must formally escalate the issue locally. Submit a written complaint or call the specific Depot Manager of your origin/destination bus stand. If the local depot fails to resolve it, escalate directly to the Divisional Controller (DC) of the specific district (e.g., Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad).
Timeline: Under standard administrative guidelines, the Depot or Divisional officers must address and resolve escalated ticketing and service disputes within 15 to 30 days.
Source Verification: MSRTC Divisional Contact Directory
Level 3: Corporate Headquarters & State Aaple Sarkar Portal
Authority: If the Divisional officers reject your claim or fail to resolve the issue, you must escalate to the Vice Chairman & Managing Director (VC&MD) at the Corporate Head Office (Maharashtra Parivahan Bhavan, Mumbai Central) via email at chairmanmsrtc@gmail.com. Simultaneously, lodge a formal grievance on the State’s Centralized Public Grievance Redressal System, known as Aaple Sarkar.
Portal/Contact: You must submit your grievance to the state government via the Aaple Sarkar Grievance Redressal Portal (grievances.maharashtra.gov.in) or by calling the central citizen 24x7 toll-free line at 1800-120-8040.
Timeline: Grievances escalated to the Aaple Sarkar portal are tracked with strict Service Level Agreements (SLAs), legally mandating a formal investigation and a targeted resolution response within 21 working days.
Source Verification: Maharashtra Aaple Sarkar Grievance Portal
Level 4: Consumer Court (Legal Action)
Pre-Litigation: Do not use central CPGRAMS for state utilities. Public transport service deficiencies do not require a specialized Ombudsman. If the Aaple Sarkar portal fails, the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) via 1915 is your final pre-litigation step.
Court/Arbitration: If you are aggrieved by unrefunded tickets, severe delays causing financial loss, or gross negligence, you must file a formal complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, utilizing the e-Daakhil portal.
Timeline: You must file the case within two years from the date the cause of action (the service failure) arose.
Source Verification: National Consumer Helpline (NCH) Portal
Community Action: Is MSRTC refusing to process your cancellation refund for a Shivneri bus, or are you looking for the correct template to escalate a staff misconduct issue to the Mumbai Central Headquarters? Reply below (do not share your passwords, bank details, or your exact PNR Numbers), and our community will point you to the right resources!