400 CNG buses to join PMPML fleet next month, 200 more in June

PUNE: Passengers from Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) area will soon be able to enjoy safe and comfortable travel. Reason being the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has decided to acquire 600 pollution-free CNG buses; 400 out of which will be inducted into the PMPML fleet in April with the remaining 200 self-owned buses to be inducted by the end of June, according to PMPML officials.

While the PMPML provides passenger services in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and the PMRDA area, over 250 buses have been removed from the fleet due to expiry of their lifespan. As a result, the total number of buses in the PMPML fleet has decreased and 12-year-old self-owned buses are still being operated only out of necessity. Consequently, the fleet has dwindled to 1,654 buses leading to a reduction in the number of buses running on various routes in turn affecting passenger service. To address this issue, the PMPML board of directors approved the procurement of 200 self-owned and 400 PPP (public-private partnership) buses in a meeting held in October last year.

Deepa Mudhol Munde, PMPML chairman and managing director (CMD), said, “The lifespan of several self-owned and contractor-operated buses has expired, and many of these buses have been in service for over 12 years. The process to bring in new buses has already begun. In the next three months, 600 eco-friendly, air-conditioned CNG buses will join the fleet, with 400 PPP buses arriving next month.”

The process of purchasing 400 CNG buses under the PPP model has been completed recently while the process of procurement of 200 self-owned buses is in its final stage. Although these buses are set to enter the fleet by June, the new buses will start arriving in the coming year. Meanwhile, the 327 buses that have reached the end of their lifespan are being phased out gradually, as per PMPML authorities.