PUNE: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has decided to scrap 255 more buses which were in the fleet for over 20 years and were unfit to ply on the road. However, due to a shortage of buses, the public transport utility had continued to use them.
According to officials, scrapping of old buses will not adversely affect their usual operations. PMPML scrapped 113 buses in 2018 and 142 between January and September 2019.
At present, around 2,200 buses are in the fleet of PMPML, which include PMPML-owned and those belonging to private contractors. For the past few years, the PMPML has been operating decade-old buses due to shortage of buses. Recently, it added new CNG and e-buses to its fleet and the decision was taken to scrap old buses in a phased manner.
Public transport activists and commuters have been complaining that the old buses not only cause inconvenience to passengers but also add to the pollution. The Pune police too have been blaming the old buses of PMPML for causing traffic jams in the peth areas as these buses often breakdown on the road.
“PMPML is about to induct around 300 new buses very soon. The buses that we have scrapped were in very bad shape. Hence, they had to be taken off the road. Since we are getting new buses, the scrapping exercises that have been carried out recently will not adversely affect our operations,” said a senior official with the transport body.
As per PMPML officials, of the total 2,200 buses with PMPML, 350-400 buses remain off the road daily due to various issues. As per PMPML officers, a major reason for the transport body to release the planned trips per day is the failure on the part of the contractors to meet the target given to them.
