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PMPML sees 13% rise in festival ridership despite fewer buses
PMPML operated an average of 1,760 buses on the roads between September 14 and 21, 2026, compared with an average of 1,768 buses during August 27 to September 3, 2025.
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Pune - The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) recorded an increase in passenger traffic and revenue during the 8-day Ganeshotsav period this year compared with the corresponding period in 2025, despite operating almost the same number of buses.
According to the data, PMPML operated an average of 1,760 buses on the roads between September 14 and 21, 2026, compared with an average of 1,768 buses during August 27 to September 3, 2025. During the period, the transport undertaking carried an average of 11,97,087 passengers per day in 2026, against 10,59,165 passengers in 2025, indicating an increase of 1,37,922 passengers in the average daily ridership.
The increase in ridership was also reflected in PMPML’s daily revenue. The average daily revenue during the eight-day Ganeshotsav period in 2026 stood at ₹2,10,68,247, compared with ₹1,99,59,991 during the corresponding period in 2025. This represents an increase of ₹11,08,256 in average daily revenue.
The data shows that the increase came despite the average number of buses on the road being marginally lower this year, at 1,760 compared with 1,768 last year. The average daily passenger count increased by around 13%, while average daily revenue rose by around 5.6%.
PMPML chairman and managing director Mahesh Awhad said, “The data for this year’s festival period shows that PMPML buses continued to carry a large number of passengers, with the average daily ridership increasing significantly compared with the corresponding period last year. What is particularly important is that this increase was achieved while the average number of deployed buses remained almost the same.”
He added that the transport body’s focus during the festival was to ensure maximum utilisation of available resources and provide reliable public transport to citizens. “The increase in passenger numbers and revenue indicates that a substantial number of citizens continued to depend on PMPML during the festive period. We will continue to study the travel patterns observed during Ganeshotsav and use such data to improve bus deployment, route planning and passenger services during future peak periods,” Awhad said.
The highest daily ridership in the 2026 data was recorded on September 21, when 13,60,985 passengers travelled by PMPML buses, with 1,832 buses on the road generating revenue of ₹2,67,11,976. The same day also recorded the highest revenue in the eight-day period. On September 17, PMPML carried 12,48,507 passengers and earned ₹2,23,85,694, while September 15 recorded 12,46,817 passengers and revenue of ₹2,27,73,440. The lowest ridership during the period was recorded on September 14, at 9,32,970 passengers, while revenue on that day stood at ₹1,42,01,547.
The corresponding 2025 figures show that PMPML had an average of 1,768 buses on the road, carried 10,59,165 passengers per day and generated average daily revenue of ₹1,99,59,991 during August 27 to September 3. The highest passenger count during that period was 12,42,150 on September 3, while the highest revenue was ₹2,42,78,890 on the same day. The figures indicate that passenger demand during the festival period has increased year-on-year, placing greater importance on efficient deployment of the existing PMPML fleet.
