Despite hike in PMPML bus fares, commuters see no improvement in services

Indian Express

8 hours ago

On June 1, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) decided to increase its fares. This, the transport body said was necessary in the face of increased cost of operations and to help it offer better services. But passengers have slammed this increase, which they said was uncalled for.
Software engineering Amol Deshanpde is a regular user of the transport body and used to buy a daily pass priced at Rs 50. 'My office is in Baner and I used to take the bus from Akurdi station till Baner. However, the last mile connectivity was always an issue – thus I had to take an autorickshaw from the bus stand till I reach office. The press statement said this was done to improve services – but from personal experience I feel this would be far from being achieved,' he said.
Every day, Shirish Mohite travels from Bhosari to MaNaPa (Pune Municipal Corporation) to reach his office in Deccan. Mohite, who works as an office assistant in a private office said the present fare hike is a bit too steep for comfort. 'My monthly pass costed me Rs 900 now its Rs 1,500. The buses on my route are really not first class – the seats rattle and the windows do not close. If I get the AC bus its fine- else it's a pain,' he said. Mohite says the rise in monthly fare has made him uncomfortable- but with no other options he has to make do with it.
Suraj Raut, an HR professional, travels from Jamabhulwadi to Lohegaon and used to buy a daily pass of Rs 40 which has now gone up to Rs 70. 'I work for 26 days in a month, so my cost used to come to Rs 1,040, which has now increased to Rs 1,820,' he said. Raut like others have a heap of complaints against the transport body – from unclean buses to the ACs in air conditioned buses not working. 'Imagine a full bus with AC not working – it is suffocating,' he said. Raut has complaints about the frequency of buses from Lohegaon also. 'At times there is no bus for two hours – will the frequency increase after the rise in fares?' he asked.
When it come the transport body, many commuters have complaints like Raut. Deshpande said PMMPL is supposed to be a feed service for the metro, but has failed. 'There is a metro every 10 minutes while the feeder service buses are not there for hours together. This completely defeats the definition of a feeder service,' he said. Deshpande who is a member of the PMP Pravasi Manch said they have asked for shorted fare hikes. 'If some one travels for just 5 km they have to pay Rs 20 – which is a steep rise,' he said. Deshpande called for robustness in the management of the transport body.
Frequent break downs are also a concern, which sees many people stranded in the middle of the road. As per officials PMPML buses see breakdowns in the range of 300-600 per month. According to officials , most of these breakdowns were due to engine issues, while some were due to tyre issues.
Currently PMPML operates 1,916 buses, including owned and hired buses. A recent study by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy highlighted that Pune had only half the buses it needs, with the 4,500 buses required. Pune District Planning Committee's Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) also said that the city requires over 6000 buses. On top of this, between 300-500 buses are off road on average every day.
PMPML's fleet has remained constant since the last few years. In April 2022 the fleet number stood at 1959, in February 2023 at 2083, in February 2024 at 2009, and in February 2025 at 1916.
To be fair the number of the buses is not the only thing that has remained constant. This was the first fare hike made by the transport body after 14 years. The problem is that the hike has not been bin proportion to increased efficiency or service.
A press statement issued by PMPML post the hike said on day 1 of the hike they saw a revenue increase of Rs 55 lakh. Deepa Munde Mudhol, CMD of the transport body, said fares were hiked after a long time. Asked if this would affect passenger numbers, she said ' As of now commuters have not decreased. The statistics of the number of passengers in June and July will be analysed. Only one week has passed. No effect on passengers figures as of now.'
Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More
Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune.
A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More