PMPML has sought approval for 500 seven-metre mini buses to serve Pune’s narrow inner-city roads and provide feeder connectivity to Metro stations, addressing a gap that leaves several residential pockets difficult to reach with conventional buses.
The proposal, reported by Pune Mirror, is aimed particularly at the city’s older peth areas and internal roads, where nine-metre and 12-metre buses can face difficulties while navigating limited road space. The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited wants the smaller vehicles to operate on routes that are not easily accessible to its existing fleet.
If approved, the mini buses would be used not only for local neighbourhood services but also to connect commuters with nearby Metro stations. The proposed arrangement would allow passengers to travel by bus from residential areas to a Metro station, continue along a major corridor, and use bus services again for the final part of their journey.
The proposal reflects the operational limits of a transport network designed primarily around larger vehicles. Standard buses can carry more passengers, but their size makes them less suitable for narrow lanes, dense older neighbourhoods and internal roads where turning space and road width are restricted. For residents in these areas, the absence of a suitable bus service can make short trips dependent on private vehicles, intermediate public transport or longer walks to a main road.
PMPML’s request also comes as Pune’s bus and Metro systems are expected to function as a more connected public transport network. Metro corridors are suited to faster travel along major routes, but their usefulness depends partly on how easily passengers can reach stations from homes, workplaces and local markets. Feeder services are therefore important for extending the effective catchment of stations beyond the immediate walking distance.
The 500 vehicles have not yet been sanctioned or procured. Their deployment will depend on approval from the Central Government, according to the report. The proposal does not currently include details on the procurement cost, funding arrangement, delivery schedule or the specific routes on which the buses would operate.
Route planning will determine how effectively the smaller buses address the access problem. Services would need to be matched to the road widths, passenger demand and locations of Metro stations in central Pune. The transport undertaking has not announced an implementation timeline or a detailed operating plan.
For commuters, the proposal’s immediate significance lies in the possibility of a more adaptable bus service in neighbourhoods that larger vehicles cannot consistently serve. The next formal step is the Central Government’s decision on PMPML’s request, after which the undertaking would need to clarify procurement, routes, funding and deployment arrangements.
