Pune’s PMPML to add 1,000 new buses to its fleet in 2019
A total of 400 new non-AC compressed natural gas buses, 150 e-buses and 440 compressed natural gas buses on contract basis will be inducted in the coming year
In a bid to strengthen public transport in the city, the Pune mahanagar parivahan mahamandal limited (PMPML) has planned to induct as many as 1,000 new buses and ply them on the city roads next year.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Siddharth Shirole, PMPML director, said, “Increasing frequency of PMPML buses along with its efficiency have always been our priority. To encourage the usage of public transport, we will be inducting 1,000 new buses of different models in the next one year.”
“The induction of new buses will happen in a phase-wise manner beginning from January 2019,” Shirole said.
The announcement was made post the PMPML board of directors meeting which took place on Saturday afternoon.
A total of 400 new non-AC compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, 150 e-buses and 440 compressed natural gas buses on contract basis will be inducted in the coming year.
Shirole said, “All the 400 CNG non-AC buses which will be bought by the PMPML post the tender process will be inducted before July next year.
“While the remaining 440 non-AC CNG buses which be inducted on contract basis will also ply till September next year.”
The prototype of e-bus will be inducted in the month of January and the rest will be inducted in a phase-wise manner, he added.
With the induction of these 1,000 new buses, the total fleet strength of PMPML will increase to 2,450 which now currently is 1,450 buses.
Meanwhile, Pune mahanagar parivahan mahamandal limited ruled out any possibilities of a fare hike which was proposed by the administration a couple of months ago.
Pune mayor Mukta Tilak, said, “We will not hike the existing fares of the bus tickets. PMPML is not for profit organisation and our motto is to provide the best of the facilities to the residents of Pune. Also, there are other ways of revenue generation for the PMP which we will focus on.”
Meanwhile, PMPML ruled out any possibilities of a fare hike which was proposed by the administration a couple of months ago.
Pune mayor Mukta Tilak, said, “We will not hike the existing fares of the bus tickets. PMPML is not for profit organisation and our motto is to provide the best of the facilities to the citizens. There are other ways of revenue generation which we will focus on.”
Metro work on Vanaz-Ramwadi corridor to start from Monday
Maharashtra metro rail corporation limited (Maha-Metro) is all set to start work from Kamgar Putala to Ramwadi till Phoenix mall on Ahmednagar road from Monday in reach-III of the Vanaz-Ramwadi corridor.
The total length of the reach-III project is 6.57 kilometres which has seven stations viz. RTO station, Pune station, Ruby hall, Bund Garden, Yerwada, Kalyaninagar and Ramwadi.
While addressing a press conference, Pramod Waghmare, Maha-Metro official of reach -III, said, “The contract for the construction work of reach-III of the metro route was awarded on August 2, and the work on ground will begin from Monday. The tender cost of the project is ₹388.5 crore.”
The construction of the route will begin from Ramwadi to Phoenix mall and will then be followed ahead, said Waghmare.
He added, “Considering the traffic conditions on the road from Shivajinagar to Ramwadi which falls under reach-III of metro work, it will be difficult for us to work, however, we are sure that work will be completed in the given time frame which is September 2020.”
According to Waghmare, alignment change in this particular route will happen near the Gunjan talkies square.
“Meanwhile, Maha-Metro has started construction work of station at Ideal colony in full swing,” informed Atul Gadgil, head of Vanaz to Ramwadi metro corridor.
