A major disruption in CNG (compressed natural gas) supply from Sunday afternoon crippled Mumbai’s transport network on Monday, leaving thousands of commuters, office-goers and students stranded across the city.
The outage occurred after a GAIL pipeline inside the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) compound was damaged, cutting off supply to Mahanagar Gas Limited’s (MGL) City Gate Station in Wadala — a key hub that feeds CNG across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. MGL said the disruption resulted from “third-party damage in the main gas supply pipeline of GAIL,” and clarified that domestic piped natural gas (PNG) supply was being prioritised. Industrial and commercial customers were advised to shift to alternative fuels. The company has not yet provided a timeline for resuming normal CNG operations.
With pumps running dry through the night, auto-rickshaws, black-and-yellow taxis and app-based cabs stayed off the roads, leaving commuters with few alternatives. Many drivers said they had run out of fuel on Sunday evening and were unable to start work on Monday.
Kurla, one of Mumbai’s busiest transit nodes, saw the worst of the disruption as students and office workers attempted to reach Kalina, BKC, corporate hubs and hospitals. With autos and taxis absent, BEST buses became the only public transport option for thousands.
Long queues formed at bus stops in Kurla, Chembur, Santacruz, Andheri and Sion, with packed buses forcing commuters to struggle for space. Priya Patil, a student travelling from Kurla to Kalina, said she waited nearly 30 minutes for a bus. “There were no autos anywhere. The buses were packed. A 15-minute journey took almost 40,” she said.
Auto driver Sameer Shaikh, who operates in Kurla West, said he had been waiting since dawn at a fuel station. “Passengers were pleading for rides, but what can we do? There is no CNG. We are helpless,” he said.
At a Santacruz CNG station, nearly 100 vehicles lined up before sunrise in hopes of a fresh supply. The queue stretched onto the main road, adding to peak-hour congestion. Ola driver Rakesh Pawar said he had been in line since 6 a.m. “Everyone expected supply to resume, but the pump has been dry since yesterday. The queue hasn’t moved,” he said.
Another driver, Imran Khan, said many drivers were facing income losses. “People think we are refusing fares. We can’t even start our vehicles,” he said.
Students travelling to university campuses also struggled. “It felt like an unannounced transport shutdown,” said Santacruz resident Sahil Jadhav. “People were running behind buses. Even services that are usually empty were overflowing.”
CNG has become a central fuel in India’s urban transport ecosystem, powering millions of auto-rickshaws, taxis, school buses and commercial fleets. Its relatively lower running cost and cleaner emissions compared to petrol and diesel have made it a preferred choice in major cities, especially for last-mile connectivity and shared mobility.
State policies and expanding CNG infrastructure have further accelerated adoption, with several transport undertakings and fleet operators shifting to CNG to reduce operating expenses and meet environmental norms.