Special Cprrespondent
Pune: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) has announced plans to phase out 350 of its buses this year. Despite this reduction in fleet size, authorities have reassured the public that new buses will be acquired to replace them.
According to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the city requires over 3,500 buses to meet the needs of its growing population. However, PMPML’s current fleet consists of only 1,800 buses, which is insufficient to cater to the demand for public transportation.
In a related development, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar revealed that the government would allocate ₹500 crore for the purchase of 1,000 new CNG buses. This funding will be distributed as follows: ₹250 crore from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), ₹150 crore from PMC, and ₹100 crore from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).