MUMBAI: Brace for a hike in rates of compressed natural gas (CNG) and domestic piped gas across Mumbai metropolitan region from Saturday morning. While CNG prices (with taxes) have shot up by Rs 1.95 per kg, rates of cooking gas has been hiked by 38 paise per unit (scm).Sources said this was one of the highest escalations in CNG prices in recent months. The revised price of CNG and domestic piped gas in and around Mumbai will be Rs 46.17 per kg and Rs 27.25 per unit (Slab 1) and Rs. 32.85 per unit (Slab 2) respectively, in place of earlier rates of Rs. 44.22 per Kg and Rs. 26.87 per unit (Slab 1) and Rs. 32.47 per unit (Slab 2) respectively, an official stated.The CNG hike could have an impact on public transport fares as all autos and taxis ply on CNG in Mumbai. The unions have been demanding a fare hike of minimum Rs 2 on base fare and the matter is before the Khatua committee at present. Unions are likely to pitch for the hike in view of the latest hike in CNG prices, sources said. BEST buses also have nearly 70% vehicles plying on the green fuel.Similarly, any increase in piped gas price will pinch the pockets of household consumers, many of whom have given up LPG cylinders and switched to piped natural gas for cooking purposes. Your monthly bills could go up in the next billing cycle, according to sources.A senior official from Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) said the price will be uniform across Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan and Mira Road. Said a MGL spokesperson : "The hike is in view of increase in MGL’s input cost of gas on account of dollar appreciation against rupee, increase in proportion of costlier PannaMukta and Tapti gas as per the revised domestic gas allocation for supply of gas in priority sector (Domestic PNG and CNG), applicability of additional Gujarat VAT on part of gas supply from Gujarat, and increase in oil marketing companies' trade margin and CNG franchisee dispensing charges."In Mumbai metropolitan region, nearly 8% of private cars have switched to CNG. The MGL statistics showed that more than 5.6 lakh vehicles run on green fuel in Mumbai region, which includes 2.57 lakh private cars, 2.38 lakh autos and more than 61,000 taxis and nearly 9.5 lakh households have piped gas.A MGL spokesperson said that even after the revision, CNG still continued to be a very attractive proposition and offered savings of about 63% and 32% as compared to petrol and diesel respectively at current price levels in Mumbai.On Tuesday, petrol was at Rs 85.24 per litre and diesel Rs 73.02 per litre.