Mumbai residents faced massive commute delays on Monday morning after a sudden and large-scale disruption in the city’s CNG supply brought several fuel pumps to a standstill. The breakdown led to long queues of autos, taxis and app-based cabs at the few operational pumps, causing traffic congestion and inconvenience for lakhs of daily commuters.

According to visuals shared widely on social media, serpentine queues stretched for kilometres outside CNG stations from late Sunday night. Drivers said they had been waiting for hours without certainty of fuel availability, forcing many public transport vehicles off the roads at peak hours.

The disruption hit Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai after third-party pipeline damage inside the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) plant reportedly affected the main GAIL gas supply line. This resulted in significantly reduced gas flow to the Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) City Gate Station in Wadala, leading to an abrupt halt or slowdown at multiple CNG outlets—especially those used heavily by autorickshaw and taxi fleets.

With limited CNG availability, commuters across Byculla, Kurla, Sion, Chembur, Andheri, Borivali, Mulund, Vashi and other areas struggled to find transportation. Office-goers and students reported long waiting times, while fares for app-based cabs surged sharply due to the shortage.