5 days ago
Pune Study Finds Frequent Bus Access Has Fallen Sharply
A study looked at how easily people in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad can reach buses and other public transport.
About 94% of residents live within a 5–10-minute walk of public transport.
However, only about one in five residents can catch a bus every five minutes.
This is a large drop from 2019, when 66% had access to such frequent service.
The study found 16 areas where bus service is not frequent enough for the number of people living there.
Officials say the problem grew because bus routes expanded without enough new buses.
PMPML has tendered 1,000 CNG buses and is expected to receive 1,000 electric buses.
ITDP says changing some routes to run every five minutes could raise frequent-service access to 61%.
About 94% of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad residents can reach public transport within a 5–10-minute walk.
Only 21% have access to a bus arriving every five minutes, down from 66% in 2019.
The study identifies 16 public bus transit deserts across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
PMPML operates roughly 2,000 buses across more than 450 routes.
PMPML plans fleet expansion, while ITDP says route restructuring could raise frequent-transit access to 61%.
- Who
- Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), with technical support from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), conducted the study.
- What
- The People Near Transit 2026 Study assessed access to public transport and frequent bus service.
- Where
- Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra.
- When
- The study was launched on August 24; it compares current findings with a 2019 assessment.
- Why
- The study was conducted to measure transit access and identify areas needing improved bus frequency and connectivity.
Key facts
- Overall public-transport access
- Approximately 94% of residents can reach public transport within a 5–10-minute walk.
- Frequent-service access
- 21% of residents can access a bus arriving every five minutes.
- Change since 2019
- Frequent-transit coverage fell from 66% to 21%.
- Transit deserts
- The study identifies 16 public bus transit deserts: eight in Pune and eight in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
- Current PMPML fleet
- Roughly 2,000 buses operate across more than 450 routes.
- Planned fleet additions
- PMPML has tendered 1,000 CNG buses and expects 1,000 electric buses under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme.
- Projected improvement
- ITDP says route restructuring could increase frequent-transit access from 21% to 61%.
Quotes
Mahesh Awhad
PMPML Chairman and Managing Director
“The study finds that if routes currently operating at 10- 20-minute frequencies are restructured to provide five-minute frequencies, the share of the population with access to frequent transit could increase from 21 to 61 per cent.”
indianexpress.com
“PMPML has already tendered 1,000 CNG buses and is expected to receive 1,000 electric buses under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme. The augmentation of the fleet will help close the most critical gap.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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