Cab rentals surge as Pune residents plan outstation trips for long weekend

PUNE: The summer vacation, a long weekend and the rising heat have combined to give families, Gen Z and millennials the perfect reason to head out of the city and into the hills, religious places and the beaches.
Cab companies and travel firms have seen a 40% to 50% uptick in bookings for Friday, Saturday and Sunday to nearby destinations of Lonavla, Khopoli, Khandala, Alibaug and others within a 200km radius.
This may add to the traffic on the Pune-Mumbai expressway like it does on other long weekends. "As of Thursday, the expressway had its usual traffic without any blocks anywhere," an official from Highway Traffic Police, Pune region said.
Akash Nagarboje, the proprietor of a city-based cab rental, said they expect the rush to escalate on the expressway from Thursday evening as many people are likely to travel from Pune to these destinations as per the enquiries they have received so far. People have chosen two to three days of stay in these locations, he added.
Travellers from Mumbai are also likely to holiday in Mahabaleshwar, Lonavla and Khandala which will add to the expressway traffic.
"People are also going to Mahabaleshwar and other cooler spots in Maharashtra because of the rising heat in the city. The last month was totally slack because of school and board exams. But now, bookings have picked up almost 50% for the long weekend," Nagarboje said.
Sagar Yenpure, manager of Soham Travels, said their clients are going to Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Malvan, Alibaug, Diveagar, Shirdi, Shani Shingnapur and other spots.
"We have seen a nearly 40% increase in cab bookings this long weekend in comparison to the other weekends," he said.
Deep Banka, chief operating officer at Zostel, a backpacker hostel chain, said they have seen a 40% to 50% surge in enquiries and online searches for the April 7 to April 9 window as compared to the usual weekends. The prospect of a long weekend has boosted short trips to nearby destinations.
"Travellers from Maharashtra have shown a particular interest in our properties in Lonavla, Panchgani and Kolad. At the room-level, we have observed a trend where our premium offerings at these properties were sold out first indicating that customers are willing to spend more on their stay," Banka said.
Pramod Ghatol, proprietor of Praj Tours and Travels, said most families and couples planning to travel nearby are choosing Mahabaleshwar, Lonavla and Alibaug.
"I have 13 cars which are booked for the weekend while four others that I hired to meet the demand are also taken. We do expect some rush on the expressway from Friday as many will be going to Lonavla and Alibaug, but most traffic jams on the stretch clear up in 30 minutes to an hour," he added.