The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) plans to install an automatic passenger count system in 1,000 new buses proposed for its fleet, using artificial intelligence to record boarding and alighting in real time across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
According to a report by Pudhari, the system will use cameras installed inside the buses and connected to backend AI software. The technology is intended to record how many passengers enter and leave each bus and transmit the information directly to the PMPML control room.
PMPML currently operates nearly 2,000 buses, but the existing fleet is considered inadequate in view of the continuing growth in Pune’s population and the rising number of public transport users. The transport undertaking is planning to purchase 1,000 additional buses, with the passenger-counting system proposed as part of the new fleet.
The technology is expected to give the transport authority more detailed information about passenger demand on individual routes. PMPML would be able to use the data to plan services and deploy an appropriate number of buses on routes experiencing heavy crowding, according to the report.
The system is also intended to improve the tracking of fare revenue. The report said that differences or confusion can arise between the number of passengers travelling on buses and the revenue recorded through ticket sales. By comparing passenger-count data with ticket collection figures, the proposed system is expected to make it easier to identify discrepancies and improve financial transparency.
Mahesh Awhad, PMPML’s chairman and managing director, told Pudhari that the system would help remove discrepancies between passenger numbers and daily revenue and support an increase in the undertaking’s income. His comments were reported in the context of the proposed technology deployment in the 1,000 new buses.
The announcement places the technology within a wider fleet expansion plan rather than a standalone software upgrade. The effectiveness of the system will depend on the delivery of the proposed buses, the installation of the camera and AI equipment, and the transmission of reliable information to the control room. The report does not specify the procurement schedule, the implementation date, the technology provider or the cost of the system.
PMPML has described the proposed deployment as a first-of-its-kind experiment among public transport organisations in Asia. The transport undertaking’s next steps are expected to involve the procurement of the 1,000 buses and the integration of the automatic passenger count system into the new fleet.
