On a November Sunday, the price of compressed natural gas in Mumbai climbed again, as Mahanagar Gas Limited moved its rate to Rs 91.50 per kilogram, the eighth increase of a year that has steadily pressed on the people who move the city. The company points to a wider world: costlier imported gas, tighter domestic allocations, and a Middle East crisis that has tugged procurement costs upward. For the autorickshaw drivers and the millions who ride in CNG vehicles, the cost of getting from one place to another has quietly become a measure of distant events. Now the question turns to fares, and wh
Mumbai CNG Rises to Rs 91.50/kg, Eighth Hike of 2026 as Import Costs Bite
Rs 11 more per kg since January, close to 14 percent in under 11 months
On a November Sunday, the price of compressed natural gas in Mumbai climbed again, as Mahanagar Gas Limited moved its rate to Rs 91.50 per kilogram, the eighth increase of a year that has steadily pressed on the people who move the city. The company points to a wider world: costlier imported gas, tighter domestic allocations, and a Middle East crisis that has tugged procurement costs upward. For the autorickshaw drivers and the millions who ride in CNG vehicles, the cost of getting from one place to another has quietly become a measure of distant events. Now the question turns to fares, and whether the city's drivers will be able to pass the burden along.
Compressed natural gas in Mumbai became more expensive on Sunday, November 15, when Mahanagar Gas Limited raised its retail price by Rs 1.50 per kg, to Rs 91.50. The new rate took effect at midnight, and it marks the company's eighth increase this year.
The climb has been steep. CNG cost Rs 80.50 per kg in January, so the rise since then comes to Rs 11, close to 14 percent in under eleven months. The pace has quickened: a Re 1 increase on November 1 followed a string of hikes since September.
MGL explained the increases by pointing to rising procurement costs. Less domestic gas is being allocated to the company, leaving it more reliant on imported RLNG, whose prices follow global benchmarks, and the ongoing Middle East crisis has added further pressure. The company says the hike partly offsets these costs and keeps supplies steady.
The impact reaches around 12.93 lakh CNG vehicles across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including autorickshaws, taxis and private cars. Autorickshaw unions say the repeated increases have erased the benefit of the September fare revision, which set the minimum fare at Rs 27. They now want Rs 29 for the first 1.5 kilometres, a demand that arrives while meter recalibration is still underway ahead of a November 30 deadline.
Compressed natural gas in Mumbai and the areas around it got more expensive on Sunday, November 15. Mahanagar Gas Limited raised the retail price by Rs 1.50 per kg, to Rs 91.50. The new rate took effect from midnight on November 14, and it is the company's eighth increase of 2026.
The arithmetic is plain. CNG cost Rs 80.50 per kg in January. The cumulative rise since then is Rs 11 per kg, close to 14 percent in less than 11 months. The pace has quickened lately: this revision follows a Re 1 increase on November 1, and prices have gone up by Rs 5.50 per kg since the start of September. Rs 91.50 is the highest level recorded this year.
The year's sequence began with a 50 paise rise in February and a Re 1 rise in April. Two separate Rs 2 increases came in May. September brought another Rs 2, which lifted the price to Rs 88 per kg, and Re 1 increases followed in October and on November 1 before the latest step.
In a statement issued Saturday, MGL pointed to rising gas procurement costs. It said less domestically produced natural gas was being allocated to it, leaving it more dependent on imported regasified liquefied natural gas, or RLNG. Imported RLNG is tied to international price benchmarks, so the company's costs move with global energy markets. MGL also said the ongoing Middle East crisis had pushed up procurement costs, particularly for CNG, as strong demand and a larger share of imported gas raised its overall input expenses.
The company described the increase as a partial offset to those costs, meant to keep CNG supplies uninterrupted. It added that it was continuing to work on optimising costs and passing benefits on to consumers.
The reach is wide. The Indian Express reported that around 12.93 lakh CNG-powered vehicles across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region are affected, including autorickshaws, taxis, private cars and public transport vehicles. For drivers who earn their living on the road, the increases add directly to daily fuel expenses.
Autorickshaw unions have responded by renewing their call for higher fares. Thampy Kurien of the Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union said, according to The Times of India, that the repeated CNG hikes had eroded the benefit of the recent fare revision. The minimum autorickshaw fare in the MMR was raised to Rs 27 in September. Unions now want a further Rs 2 added, taking it to Rs 29 for the first 1.5 kilometres.
That demand arrives while meter recalibration after the previous fare revision is still underway, with November 30 set as the deadline. Meanwhile, MGL has left piped natural gas prices for domestic consumers unchanged, per The Times of India. What to watch next is whether the unions' request for a Rs 29 minimum fare gains traction as the recalibration deadline approaches.
Citations marquantes
Repeated CNG price increases had eroded the benefit of the recent fare revision.— Thampy Kurien, Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union, as reported by The Times of India
The price increase partially offsets higher input costs while maintaining uninterrupted CNG supplies.— Mahanagar Gas Limited statement (paraphrased)
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