The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation’s Pune division has planned 1,200 additional buses for Diwali travel from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, with services intended for passengers travelling to western Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada. The division expects to transport about one lakh passengers a day during the festive period.
The plan is aimed at managing the seasonal increase in travel from Pune, where people from different parts of Maharashtra live for work, business and education. Many of these residents travel to their native places during Diwali to celebrate with their families.
The additional services are also intended to provide an alternative for passengers unable to secure railway reservations during the festival rush. Private bus fares can also rise beyond the reach of many travellers during this period, making state transport services an important option for passengers seeking lower-cost intercity travel.
The planned fleet is twice the size of the additional services operated by the Pune division last year. Around 600 extra buses were operated from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad during the previous Diwali period. This year, the division has increased the planned number to 1,200 in response to the expected rise in passenger demand.
The additional buses will serve routes from Pune towards western Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada. The division said the services would help provide alternative transport capacity and make it easier to manage crowding at bus stations during the festive period.
Arun Siya, divisional controller of MSRTC’s Pune division, said the additional buses were being planned to provide safe travel and reduce inconvenience for passengers travelling home for Diwali. He said the division would consider increasing the number of buses further if passenger demand and crowding at bus stations required additional capacity.
The scale of the plan highlights the pressure placed on Pune’s transport systems during major festivals. The city’s large population of workers, students and business communities creates a sharp seasonal movement of passengers towards several regions of Maharashtra. For MSRTC, the challenge will be to match bus availability with demand across routes while managing the concentration of passengers at Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad bus stations.
The Pune division’s next operational steps will depend on passenger demand and the level of crowding at bus stations. According to the divisional controller, additional buses may be added if required during the Diwali travel period.
