Mumbai, May 10 -- Maharashtra's transport department will only purchase hybrid fuel buses from next year, which will operate on a combination of compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquified natural gas (LNG) and diesel. According to state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will procure 20,000 hybrid buses over four years starting 2026, with the twin objectives of reducing pollution and fuel expenditures. The decision was taken in a transport department meeting held on Friday. As of now, all state transport (ST) buses run on diesel, which accounts for 34% of MSRTC's total annual expenditure. ST buses consume 1.07 million litres of diesel annually, costing MSRTC Rs.34,000 crore. The switch to hybrid buses will reduce MSRTC's fuel expenditure by Rs.235 crore per year, said Sarnaik. According to an agreement signed by MSRTC with distribution company Kings Gas, LNG fuel will be supplied at a rate 20% lower than the current diesel price. "After considering the comparison of fuel cost and pollution from buses, we have decided to purchase only hybrid buses running on a combination of CNG/LNG with diesel," said Sarnaik. "For this year, we have already started the procurement process, so we will go for 5,000 diesel buses. But from next year onwards, we will purchase only hybrid buses every year. In the next four years, we will purchase 20,000 hybrid buses with an average of 5,000 buses per year." Once the hybrid buses are procured, they will run mostly on the environmentally friendly and cheaper LNG and CNG, except for times of emergency, when drivers will shift to diesel to avoid any inconvenience to passengers, said Sarnaik. LNG and CNG buses cover a distance of 5-5.5 km per litre, while diesel buses cover only 4 km per litre....