Pune: Ten days after the start of bus service, passengers are still not getting the expected response. It has taken eleven days for the RSVP 1.50 crore income has been received in one day before the lockdown. Also, due to mismatch between current income and expenditure, huge losses have to be borne.
At present, the PMPML costs around Rs 60 per km and the income is only Rs 10 to 12. As a result, the PMPML is earning enough to cover fuel costs.
The bus service was closed from March 23 due to the Corona crisis. Only 100 to 125 buses were running on the route for essential service personnel. All transactions resumed after the lockdown restrictions were relaxed. So there was a demand to start PMPML service.
Accordingly, it was decided to bring 25 per cent buses on the route from September 3.
About 425 buses are running on Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad routes. On the first day, about 81,000 passengers travelled by bus. It earned an income of Rs 11 lakh. Since then, the number of passengers has been increasing day by day.
On September 10, this figure has gone beyond Rs 15 lakh and income has gone beyond Rs 18 lakh.
The PMPML has to bear huge losses due to not getting the expected passengers. Before the lockdown, the daily income of the PMP was around Rs 1.5 crore and the number of passengers was over one lakh.
The daily cost was Rs 70 to 80 per km and the income was around Rs 50. But the current income has come down to Rs 10 to Rs 12. The cost is around Rs 60. Therefore, there is no balance between expenses and income.
| Daily commute | Income of PMPml | Day Traveler Income |
| September 3 | 81, 162, | 11, 18, 0136 |
| September 4 | 98,375 | 14,02,890 |
| September 5 | 97,113 | 13,55,360 |
| September 6 | 82,628 | 10,94,598 |
| September 7 | 1,20,277 | 17,52,646 |
| September 8 | 1,21,179 | 17,46,257 |
| September 9 | 1,22,592 | 17,23,833 |
| September 10 | 1,28,463 | 18,39,621 |
| September 11 | 1,27,951 | 18,05,691 |
| September 12 | 1,22,009 | 16,90,094 |
| September 13 | 1,03,164 | 13,85,564 |
Possible reasonsĀ
- Schools, colleges closed
- Fear of corona
- Use of private vehicles by many
- Low attendance in offices
- Limit on daily transactions
