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Time of India

Feeder bus services starts on Kalyaninagar-Magarpatta route

1 2 3 Pune: The Maha Metro and PMPML fulfilled a year-long demand of commuters on Friday and started feeder bus services connecting Kalyaninagar Metro station to Magarpatta and Hadapsar. The feeder bus services will run throughout the day at a 45-minute interval. The frequency, however, is likely to increase based on ridership and demand, the Maha Metro and PMPML said. The Kalyaninagar-Magarpatta feeder route was identified to ensure shortest possible distance with minimum bus stops. For over a year now, professionals working in Magarpatta raised a demand for feeder buses from Kalyaninagar, the closest metro station for them. In the absence of any alternate commute option, travellers faced fleecing by auto drivers after alighting at Kalyaninagar. Prior to the Kalyaninagar-Magarpatta route, the Maha Metro and PMPML operated feeder buses on prominent routes such as Yerawada-Ramwadi-Lohegaon airport, Vanaz-Chandni Chowk-Pashan road and Ramwadi-Kharadi IT park. Regular commuters, however, have said the overall frequency of these buses has been 'considerably low'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Device Made My Power Bill Drop Overnight elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Pre-Order Undo For instance, the buses from Yerawada station to the airport and Kharadi are plying every 40 minutes. Commuters, however, need buses at every 10-15 minutes. Sujit Patil, who works in the airport road area, said the frequency of buses should not remain at 40 minutes interval when the metro trains are running every 7 to 10 minutes. "The authorities should operate buses at least at a frequency of 10 to 15 minutes," Patil said. The PMPML said the feeder buses are introduced on around 22 routes. Some routes have been redesigned to benefit metro commuters. Gokhalenagar resident Ashish Shinde said many pockets are still out of reach of feeder services. "We want the administration to cover maximum routes. Also, PMPML should operate smaller buses for feeder routes, which will benefit commuters and reduce PMPML's expenses," Shinde said. Officials from Maha Metro said continuous efforts are underway to improve last-mile connectivity to the metro stations. The PMPML is in the process of adding more buses to the existing fleet. "We will see how more buses can be deployed on feeder routes," officials said. Box: CURRENT STATUS Feeder services at metro stations: Feeder Routes: 22 in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad area Prominent routes: Yerawada-Ramwadi-airport - Kalyaninagar-Magarpatta-Hadapsar - Vanaz-Chandni Chowk-Pashan - Shivajinagar-Narhe Ramwadi-Kharadi IT park Major demands of commuters: - Increase frequency of buses - Deploy smaller buses on feeder routes - Cover prominent local areas MSID:: 121677131 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !