Pune’s public transport capacity is set to expand significantly, with the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) scheduled to induct 500 new CNG buses by the end of November. The addition will include 400 buses owned by PMPML and 100 buses operated by contractor Balaji Company.
The buses are being manufactured by Tata Motors. Before the vehicles are handed over, a team of PMPML officials visited Lucknow to inspect them and identified shortcomings in structural components, water sealing and onboard equipment. The manufacturer has been instructed to complete the required corrections.
According to PMPML chief engineer Narayan Karde, officials found issues with support structures near the front and rear doors, welding joints and gaps in tubes at certain locations. Water testing also revealed leakage above the Bus Rapid Transit doors and near the door glass panels.
Tata Motors has been asked to rectify these defects before delivery. PMPML has also directed the manufacturer to install sensors on both main doors and ensure the proper fitting of IP-based rear-view cameras, dashboard cameras, destination boards and vehicle tracking systems.
The inspection process places the planned fleet expansion alongside requirements for operational and passenger-safety equipment. The buses will not simply be added to the system following manufacture; the reported corrections and installations are to be completed before they are handed over to the transport undertaking and its operating contractor.
PMPML currently operates a fleet of 1,961 buses. Of these, 684 are owned by the transport undertaking, while 1,277 are operated by contractors. Once the 500 buses are inducted, the fleet will include a substantially larger number of vehicles owned or operated under PMPML’s public transport network.
The ownership split for the incoming buses is also significant. PMPML will own 400 vehicles, while Balaji Company will operate the remaining 100. The arrangement will add capacity through both the undertaking’s own fleet and its contracted operations.
Mahesh Awhad, chairman and managing director of PMPML, said the induction of the 500 buses would further strengthen the organisation’s passenger transport services. The manufacturer’s corrections and installation of the specified systems remain the immediate steps before the buses are handed over by the end of November.
