The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) will now extend its bus services in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) areas till 10 PM. Currently, the buses ply only till 7 PM.
The decision was taken after the timings for shops and other businesses were extended till 9 pm, said PMPML Chairman and Managing Director Rajendra Jagtap. A local news website quoted Jagtap as saying, "As the shops will be open till 9 pm, passengers need to be served till then. PMPML will also have to expand the service as per the ‘unlock’ phase."
Moreover, the PMPML has also increased the number of buses by 100 in the last two days. Also, the total number of passengers has also gone up from 1,65,000 to 1,80,000 in the last two days.
PMPML resumed its bus services from September 3 after a break of five months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Pune district reported 1,795 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking its total case count to 3,05,144, a health official said on Saturday evening.
The death toll in the district reached 7,114 with 40 COVID-19 patients succumbing to the infection during this period, he added.
"Of 1,795 cases, 703 were from the Pune Municipal Corporation limits, which has recorded 1,53,600 patients so far. However, 1,117 patients were also discharged from city hospitals during the day," the official said.
With 440 new cases, tally in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation limits reached 83,433, he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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