Pune: PM Modi to inaugurate 100 new e-buses of PMPML

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate 100 new electric buses of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) and a vehicle tracking system (VTS) application during his visit to the district next month.

“March 6 is the tentative date for the inauguration. Two hundred diesel buses will be scrapped and 100 e-buses will replace them,” said Laxminarayan Mishra, Chairman and MD of PMPML.

Officials said the transport body incurred a loss of Rs 220 crore in the 2020-21 financial year – the highest in the last five years.

PMPML traffic manager Dattatraya Zende said, “During Covid, bus services were totally inactive for five to six months. When it resumed, restrictions caused a huge loss. And if you look at the investment that goes into a bus – fuel, lubricants, spare parts, technical assistance, etc – it is a huge sum. In the last seven years we have not increased ticket rates, but fuel price has increased.”

PMP Pravasi Munch activist Sanjay Shitole has, however, opposed the transport body’s push for electric buses. “Why did they buy buses worth Rs 1.35 crore when Tata has the same bus for Rs 80 lakh. Ultimately, it is the money of taxpayers. And why electric buses when 60% of the electricity in our country is produced using coal. Isn’t that harmful to the environment? The approach is also not consumer-centric. Sometimes buses arrive in five minutes, while sometimes you have to wait for 20 minutes. Why can’t they plan buses on busy routes accordingly,” he said.

Asked about the allegations, Zende said, “Metro construction is going on throughout the city and roads have, hence, become narrower. So sometimes buses are caught in traffic and can’t reach on time. This issue will be resolved once the Metro works are over. Post Covid, 1,000-1,200 new buses have been added to the fleet which has reduced incidents of breakdowns to 15-20 per day from 100-150 earlier as the buses were old.”

On the selection of electric buses, he said, “The tender was open to all. But there were certain parameters for selection like once the bus is charged it should run for at least 115-150 km. Olectra passed these parameters.”

PMPML Director Prakash Dhore said, “In the near future, we have planned a commercial project under which 10 depots will be developed and e-stations built where the general public can also charge their electric vehicles. E-cabs will be launched for specific destinations like airport, stations, etc, which will cost less than Ola-Uber cabs. All these will, in turn, generate profit for PMPML and provide facilities for the people.”