Pune’s PMPML bus fleet is set to expand by 2,500 buses over the next year, but the city’s depots must first receive urgent infrastructure upgrades to handle the additional vehicles, according to directions issued by Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram after a meeting with Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal officials on Monday.
The upgrades will include improving electricity supply, asphalt surfacing within depots and constructing boundary walls. The instructions were issued at a meeting attended by PMPML chairman and managing director Mahesh Awhad, along with officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation and the transport undertaking.
PMPML currently operates around 1,900 buses and carries between 1.1 million and 1.2 million passengers every day, according to the report. The transport undertaking has been planning a major fleet expansion as breakdowns and an inadequate number of operational buses have contributed to overcrowding for passengers.
The planned expansion includes 1,000 compressed natural gas buses for which PMPML is expected to receive a combined allocation of Rs 750 crore. The funding is to comprise Rs 500 crore from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Rs 150 crore from the Pune Municipal Corporation and Rs 100 crore from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.
Another 1,000 CNG buses are expected to be made available to PMPML through the Central Government’s e-Drive scheme. The report also states that 1,000 new buses are expected to enter the fleet by the end of March, while an additional 1,500 buses are planned over the following year.
The depot upgrades have become necessary because existing facilities are already under pressure. PMPML reportedly lacks sufficient space for bus repairs, creating obstacles for maintenance work. Some buses also have to be parked on roads at night, raising concerns about their security. The arrival of more vehicles could intensify these operational constraints if parking, charging or fuelling, repair and circulation areas are not prepared in advance.
The commissioner directed the administration to complete the required work before the new buses begin operating so that their deployment does not face logistical obstacles. Electricity infrastructure, internal road surfaces and perimeter security were identified as priority works.
For Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the expansion is intended to strengthen public transport and help reduce road congestion by increasing the availability of buses. Its immediate implementation challenge, however, lies beyond the procurement of vehicles: PMPML’s depots must be capable of storing, maintaining and safely dispatching a significantly larger fleet. The civic and transport authorities are expected to complete the identified depot works ahead of the first tranche of new buses due by the end of March.
