Autos, taxis queue up as CNG shutdown hits Mumbai; surge pricing on Ola, Uber

Compressed natural gas (CNG) supply across Mumbai and its adjoining areas was disrupted on Sunday after damage to a pipeline cut off gas flow to receiving station, Mahanagar Gas Ltd’s (MGL) said.

The disruption forced hundreds of autos and taxis off the roads and triggering fare surges on ride-hailing platforms.

"Due to third-party damage in the main gas supply pipeline of GAIL (Gas Authority of India) inside RCF (Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertiliser) compound, the gas supply to MGL's City Gate Station (CGS) at Wadala has been affected," a company statement said.

CNG stations across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, including the dedicated CNG stations for public transport undertakings "may not operate" due to stoppage of gas supply in CGS Wadala, and, thereby, the MGL pipeline network, the city’s sole gas distributor said in a statement.

A majority of Mumbai’s autorickshaws, kaali-peeli taxis, and cabs operated by ride-hailing services such as Ola and Uber run on CNG.

As pumps shut down, many vehicles ran out of fuel and were forced off the roads, leading to fewer rides and surge pricing on aggregator platforms.

Long queues formed at the few pumps where limited supply trickled in.

Several auto and taxi drivers parked their vehicles overnight in hopes of getting refuelled once supply resumed, despite no clarity on timelines.

MGL said it had prioritised supply to residential consumers to ensure uninterrupted piped natural gas (PNG) supply to households. It also advised industrial and commercial customers in affected areas to switch to alternate fuels until restoration.

The company did not specify when normal supply would resume or provide details on how the pipeline was damaged.

“Gas supplies across MGL’s network will normalise once the damage is rectified and supply is restored to CGS Wadala,” the statement said, expressing regret for the inconvenience caused.