PMPML has launched a special Diwali tour bus service from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, offering air-conditioned electric bus trips to 15 religious, historical and scenic destinations at a ticket price of Rs 500 per passenger.
The service will operate on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays during the Diwali period. PMPML will also arrange additional trips on weekdays for groups, subject to demand. The initiative gives residents an alternative to using personal vehicles for short holiday travel from the Pune region.
The destinations covered under the service include Sinhagad, Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, Morgaon Ganpati temple, Jejuri, Narayanpur, Prati Shirdi at Shirgaon, Dehu’s Gatha temple, Alandi, Mulshi dam, Karla caves and Mahalakshmi Narayani Dham in Lonavala.
The service will also connect passengers to religious destinations in Pimpri Chinchwad, including the Ekvira temple at Ravet, Morya Gosavi temple in Chinchwad, Gatha temple in Dehu and Bhandara Dongar. Alandi’s Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Samadhi and Gajanan Maharaj Math are among the other locations included in the tour network.
Each bus will have a guide who will provide passengers with information about the destinations during the journey. The buses will have 33 seats, and PMPML has announced a discount for group bookings. Groups that book all 33 seats will receive a discount equivalent to the cost of five passenger tickets.
Weekday services can also be arranged for groups of 33 passengers, provided there is sufficient demand. The group-booking provision allows organisations, families and other larger parties to use a dedicated public transport service rather than arranging multiple private vehicles for holiday travel.
Bookings can be made at PMPML’s authorised pass centres at Deccan Gymkhana, Pune railway station, Swargate, Katraj, Hadapsar Gadital, Bhosari bus station, Nigdi and Manapa Bhavan. Passengers can also contact PMPML’s central pass department at 020-24503236 for details and bookings.
PMPML has said that if a trip is cancelled because of insufficient response or unavoidable circumstances, passengers will be permitted to travel on the following Saturday, Sunday or public holiday. The rescheduling provision applies to passengers whose booked service cannot operate.
The announcement places electric buses and scheduled public transport at the centre of Diwali leisure travel around Pune, while covering a mix of religious, heritage and scenic destinations across Pune district, Pimpri Chinchwad and the Lonavala region. The service will continue to depend on bookings for regular weekend and holiday operations, with weekday group trips arranged on demand.
