PMPML bus safety has come under renewed scrutiny in Pune after 12 accidents were reported between April and October, with the supplied report citing conflicting figures for the number of deaths during the period. The report says the incidents raised concerns over reckless driving, signal jumping, dangerous overtaking, driver management and the monitoring of contractor-operated buses.
According to data cited by the Times of India, PMPML buses were involved in 12 accidents during the April-October period of the 2025-26 financial year. The report’s opening summary refers to 13 deaths, while a later passage cites 15 fatalities. Because of this discrepancy, the fatality total requires confirmation from PMPML or another authoritative record. The report also says several people were injured in the incidents.
The figures cited for the comparable period in 2024-25 show 15 accidents and 16 deaths. For the full 2025-26 financial year, PMPML recorded 22 accidents and 25 deaths, compared with 25 accidents and 29 fatalities in 2024-25, according to the report.
A senior PMPML official told the Times of India that 10 of the 12 accidents recorded between April and October involved buses operated by private contractors, while two involved PMPML-owned vehicles. In the corresponding period last year, contractor-operated buses were involved in 11 accidents and PMPML-owned buses in one.
Contractors operate 1,446 of PMPML’s 2,096 buses, while the transport body owns 650 vehicles. The official attributed the safety concerns partly to gaps in maintenance and driver management, including frequent turnover among private contractors’ drivers. The official said drivers who leave for better opportunities are often replaced immediately, raising questions about background checks, vetting and continuity of training.
The issue came into focus again when eight people were injured after a PMPML bus lost control on the Satara Road BRT corridor while its driver attempted to avoid a pedestrian who had entered the lane, according to the report. Commuters separately alleged that bus drivers routinely use mobile phones while driving, jump signals and overtake dangerously. The report cited incidents alleged by commuters on Tilak Road and Senapati Bapat Road.
PMPML chairman and managing director Mahesh Awhad said 1,000 new CNG buses being inducted into the fleet would receive AI-enabled dash cameras and driver-facing CCTV cameras to monitor behavioural anomalies. He said the equipment could later be extended to existing buses depending on the outcome of the pilot phase.
Awhad also said all 4,000 drivers undergo comprehensive training twice a year and that their heavy-vehicle licences and badges are verified by the Regional Transport Office. He said internal inquiries would determine driver negligence and that drivers found responsible were removed from duty. The authority’s next stated step is to begin surveillance on the new buses and assess whether the system should be expanded across the existing fleet.
