Pune: PMPML buses to be used for freight and private transport

Pune: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has decided to allow use of its fleet for goods transport. The PMP buses will also be allowed to be used for transporting employees of private companies. These decisions were taken to recover the losses PMP has suffered due to restrictions on its operations during the lockdown.

Since the lockdown was imposed in March, the PMP bus services in the city were stopped. As a result, the PMPML has incurred a loss of around Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore. Even though lockdown relaxations are in place, presently the PMP bus service is only available for persons engaged in the essential services. The PMPML directors and staff were looking to recover the losses and find ways to increase revenue other than the passenger services. After deliberations, usage of PMP buses for freight and transport of private company employees was approved.

Earlier, PMP had decided to charge private companies on a kilometre basis. The proposal stated that the company could use a bus for a maximum of 2,000 kilometres running per month and should pay Rs 83.50 per kilometre. However private companies did not respond to this proposal as they considered the rates too high. Then the PMPML decided to charge companies based on their revenue per kilometre basis. The PMP bus revenue comes around Rs 50 per kilometre. So the new proposal has Rs 50 to Rs 60 per kilometre rate for companies willing to hire buses to transport their employees.

Anant Waghmare, Traffic Manager of PMPML said, "PMPML has taken several decisions in the last few days regarding its employees and existing fleet of buses. Considering the losses we have incurred in the last three months and the salary expense, we had deputed some of our staff to other departments of the Pune Municipal Corporation."

"We have also decided to give our buses to private companies for their employee transportation. Earlier we had decided to charge these companies on kilometre-basis but now we have decided to charge them on our revenue per kilometre basis. The board of directors have given their approval for this decision. We will allocate the buses as per requirement and demand from the companies."