Pune Public Transport Safety Shows Persistent Risks
Pune’s public bus system is facing renewed scrutiny after a student died in a road accident involving a PMPML bus on Sinhagad Road. The incident has brought attention to a troubling safety pattern: while the number of reported accidents involving the transport utility fell in 2025-26, fatalities increased. The figures raise wider questions about driver accountability, contractor oversight and the safety of a public transport network carrying thousands of passengers each day.
Data from the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) shows that its buses were involved in 61 accidents during 2024-25, resulting in 24 deaths, 21 serious injuries and 18 minor injuries. In 2025-26, accidents declined to 43, but fatalities rose to 25. Serious injuries also increased to 24. The trend has continued into the current financial year. Between April and August 2026, PMPML recorded 23 bus-related accidents, with 11 deaths and 10 serious injuries. Contract-operated buses accounted for 16 of those crashes, including nine fatalities. Corporation-operated buses were involved in seven accidents, resulting in two deaths. The figures need to be viewed alongside the structure of the city’s bus network. PMPML operates about 684 corporation-owned buses with 2,364 drivers, while private contractors run around 1,277 buses with 3,214 drivers. All electric buses currently operating in Pune are also managed by private operators.
That arrangement makes contractor monitoring a key part of Pune bus safety. A larger contracted fleet does not automatically indicate weaker performance, but it does make consistent standards for recruitment, training, supervision and disciplinary action essential. Safety requirements must remain uniform regardless of who owns or operates a vehicle. Daily commuters also point to road design as part of the problem. Intersections, pedestrian crossings and stretches where dedicated bus lanes merge with general traffic can create conflict between buses, cars and people walking. This suggests that Pune bus safety cannot depend only on driver training. Junction design, visibility, speed management and pedestrian protection also need attention. PMPML has said driver training is being conducted for both its own and contracted staff, including instruction on traffic rules, speed control and accident-prone locations. The transport utility has also proposed installing dashcams to help establish what happens before crashes, although the technology is awaiting approval.
For a city seeking to shift more journeys towards public transport, reducing fatalities must be as important as expanding fleet capacity. Transparent accident reporting, independent safety audits, effective contractor accountability and safer street design would provide a stronger foundation for Pune’s next phase of public transport growth.
