PMPML & Maha-Metro to increase frequency of shuttle buses across metro stations
The PMPML will purchase buses to ferry passengers to their desired destinations from every metro station in Pune and some of them will be given to the Maha-Metro in a phase-wise manner, as confirmed by PMPML joint managing director Nitin Narvekar
In a bid to provide better services to commuters, the Pune Metro along with the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) plans to increase the frequency of shuttle buses across all metro stations in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The PMPML will purchase buses to ferry passengers to their desired destinations from every metro station in Pune and some of them will be given to the Maha-Metro in a phase-wise manner, as confirmed by PMPML joint managing director Nitin Narvekar.
“The PMPML currently has 1,650 self-owned buses in its fleet. More buses are being purchased by us on a private basis. The demand for buses from the metro is huge. Therefore, a decision in this regard will be taken at the senior level and buses will be provided. Currently, buses have been ordered in phases and a joint meeting will be held soon to plan further,” Narvekar said.
Hemant Sonawane, director of public relations, Maha-Metro, said, “The PMPML bus service is important and efficient in public transport within the limits of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and the suburbs. The metro network is also expanding. Metro lines do not reach every place in the city. Therefore, bus service is necessary from the metro stations on each line to homes or main places. Considering the expansion of metro lines and the number of stations, the need for 1,000 buses cannot be ruled out. Although it is proposed to start a separate bus system in that regard, priority is given to providing bus service at stations from which bus services are not available to metro passengers presently. If buses are provided to the Metro by the PMPML, the latter’s income too will increase and transportation of passengers will become easier.”
The metro network in the city is expanding but it is not possible to reach every place by metro. Hence, it is important to have shuttle bus services available to passengers from metro stations to their desired destinations. The Maha-Metro is working towards this and it will be necessary to acquire a large fleet of buses to provide this service at a low price. Higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil had highlighted this recently while talking to the media during an inspection of the metro works.
Among the current metro routes, the Vanaj to Ramwadi route does not connect to the Pune International Airport at Lohegaon and there is a demand from passengers to provide facilities to reach the airport. There is demand for similar facilities from other metro stations in Pimpri-Chinchwad. In areas where there are no metro routes, the Maha-Metro has planned to provide bus services from the nearest metro station to the desired destinations.
