Pune Public Transport

[adam_india]

पीएमपीएमएलमध्ये लवकरच आयएएस अधिकाऱ्याची नियुक्*ती

पुण्यातील सार्वजनिक वाहतूक व्यवस्था सुधारण्यासाठी पीएमपीएमएल संस्थेत तरुण व कार्यक्षम आयएएस अधिकाऱ्याची लवकरच नियुक्ती करण्याचे आश्*वासन मुख्यमंत्री पृथ्वीराज चव्हाण यांनी दिल्याची माहिती कॉंग्रेसचे आमदार मोहन जोशी यांनी रविवारी पत्रकार परिषदेत दिली.

ते म्हणाले, ""पुणेकरांना पीएमपी गाड्यांची सेवा चांगल्या पद्धतीने मिळावी, या उद्देशाने मी गेल्या महिन्यात मिशन पीएमपीएमएल सुरू केले. त्याचा उपयोग होत असून, वर्षभरात पुणेकरांना या योजनेचे चांगले परिणाम दिसून येतील. वाहकाअभावी काही गाड्या रद्द कराव्या लागत असल्यामुळे वाहकांची भरती लवकरच सुरू करण्यात येईल. पीएमपीच्या गाड्या ठेवण्यासाठी व दुरुस्तीसाठी जागा नाही. त्यांना नवीन डेपोंची गरज आहे. मुळा रस्त्यावर दहा एकर जागा, खराडी येथील जागा डेपोसाठी येत्या तीन-चार महिन्यांत मिळणार आहे. सिंहगड रस्त्यावर डेपोला जागा मिळण्यासाठी तेथील उद्योजक सतीश मगर यांच्याशी संपर्क साधला आहे. हिंजवडी येथील आयटी पार्कमध्ये पीएमपीसाठीची आरक्षित जागा मिळविण्यासाठी दोन कोटी रुपये भरावे लागणार आहेत. ती रक्कम माफ करण्याची विनंती उद्योगमंत्री नारायण राणे यांच्याकडे केली आहे. नवीन डेपो बांधण्यासाठी पीएमपीएमएल संस्थेला अडीच चटईक्षेत्र निर्देशांक देण्याची मागणी आम्ही केली आहे.''

'पुण्याच्या वाहतूक समस्येची तीव्रता कमी करण्यासाठी सार्वजनिक वाहतूक व्यवस्था अधिक सक्षम केली पाहिजे. त्यासाठी तरुण व कार्यक्षम अधिकारी नियुक्त करण्याची मागणी आम्ही मुख्यमंत्र्यांकडे केली; त्यांनी ती मान्य केली. पर्यटकांच्या दृष्टीने सोईच्या असलेल्या "पुणे दर्शन' सेवेसाठी तीन नवीन वातानुकूलित गाड्या खरेदी करण्यात येणार आहेत.''

मोलेदिना हॉलसाठी आरक्षित जागा
पुणे रेल्वेस्थानकासमोरील मोलेदिना हॉल बसस्थानकाच्या ठिकाणी पीएमपीएमएलसाठी आरक्षित केलेली सर्व जागा पीएमपीएमएलला देण्याचे महापालिका आयुक्त महेश पाठक यांनी मान्य केले आहे, असे आमदार मोहन जोशी यांनी सांगितले. राज्य सरकारच्या विविध खात्यांकडे असलेली सव्वासहा कोटी रुपयांची थकबाकी वसूल करण्यासाठी निवासी उपजिल्हाधिकारी अनिल पवार यांच्याकडे बैठक झाल्याचे त्यांनी सांगितले.

http://www.esakal.com/esakal/2012070...7294783887.htm

Summary:
IAS officer to be appointed to oversee PMPML. Moledina Hall area to be reserved only for PMPML. New depot(?) coming up at Kharadi, Mula road. Efforts on for new depot at Hinjewadi, Sinhagad road

[adam_india]

Buses broke down 1,238 times in May

Here is another confirmation of the pathetic condition of public bus transport in the city. The number of breakdowns of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) buses has shown a steep increase from 979 instances in May 2010 to 1,238 instances in May 2012.

Poor road worthiness and lack of drivers and conductors meant that 361 buses were off-roads in May 2010 which increased to 610 buses in May 2012. Strangely, the number of buses in the PMPML fleet have gone up from 1,580 in May 2010 to 1,777 in May 2012.

A Right to Information application filed by city-based PMP Pravasi Manch revealed this information. It shows a steady increase in the number of the buses on road in the last three years. Compared to 361 buses that were off roads in May 2010, the number increased by 46 in 2011 to reach 407, which further went up by 203 in 2012 to 610.

"The manch had sought the information against the backdrop of the proposed hike in bus fares. The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) officials had made promises of better service, when they had increased the fares in the past. But data available from the PMPML shows that hardly any improvement has taken place in the service. We feel that there should be no fare hike unless and until there is a noticeable improvement in service," said Jugal Rathi, founder of the group, while addressing a news conference here on Thursday.

Rathi said that statistics of PMPML also highlighted the decline in the number of passengers using public transport. Nearly 1.5 lakh people stopped using the service since May 2010, while the number of complaints about the service has gone up from 31 in May 2010 to 522 in May 2012.

Vivek Velankar, another activist of the manch, said they have chosen a parameter of one month's performance, while seeking information.

"We selected May and have taken data of the last three years for the same month. The data was compared to various aspects of PMPML services to see if it had improved or not," he said.

Rathi said that assurances by PMPML like increasing number of buses and passenger load, improving average to cut down diesel consumption, rationalisation of bus routes and reducing administrative expenses have not been fulfilled.

All these factors have brought about a decline in the income of the transport utility. The per bus per day income has gone down from Rs 8,323 in May 2011 to Rs 8,100 in May 2012. The figure was not available for May 2010.

Similarly, the per km revenue has reduced from Rs 35.09 to Rs 34.31, Velankar stated.

Velankar and Rathi have also alleged that the loss suffered by PMPML was increasing because of inefficiency and the administration was trying to hide the fact by proposing a fare hike in a bid to reduce losses.

Meanwhile, in another news conference co-opted corporator of Pune Municipal Corporation ( PMC) Sanjay Balgude demanded that the PMPML be disbanded.

"The company has been showing consistent losses since its formation. It was formed with an intention to provide better public transport and bring financial stability to the public transport undertaking. But the company has failed to achieve both these targets," he said.

Sunil Gavali, traffic manager of PMPML, said that the number of off-road buses will reduce soon.

"The process of recruiting bus drivers and conductors is underway. The recruitment of drivers is almost over, it will be followed by conductors. The number of off-road buses will go down once the recruitment is done," he said.

Deepak Pardeshi, public relations officer of the PMPML, said that the high number of breakdown instances was due to old buses plying. "The process of procuring new buses is on and steps have been taken to ensure better maintenance. The situation will improve soon," he claimed.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/14857848.cms

[adam_india]

Soon, you might have double-decker buses in Pune

If all goes well, then Puneites will once again get to feel the old charm of commuting in double-decker buses. The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) board of directors will be discussing the proposal of the introducing double-decker buses on city roads soon.In this regard, director of the board, Prashant Jagtap will be mooting a proposal before the board of directors in a meeting to be held on September 15.

Interestingly the erstwhile Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) used to run double-decker buses in the city, 15 years ago, but later the buses were taken off the roads.

Speaking to the DNA, Jagtap said, “Pune now has wider roads. Double-decker buses will accommodate more passengers and it can be used for long routes which do not have many turns or traffic congestion. Further it will also attract citizens to use buses.”

Municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak however said, “But for such a proposal, we need to check the cost of the double-decker buses and also consider training the drivers.”

http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/report_...n-pune_1732168

[nagpuri_punter]

pune has worst administration of roads n transport

[adam_india]

हिंजवडीतील आयटी क्षेत्रातील कर्मचाऱ्यांना घेऊन येणाऱ्या बसगाड्या पीएमपीएलसाठी वापरण्याचा प्रस्ताव हिंजवडी उद्योजकांच्या संघटनेने तयार केला आहे. या जादा बसगाड्या पीएमपीएलला उपलब्ध झाल्यामुळे पुणेकरांच्या वाहतुकीचा प्रश्*न सुटण्यास मदत होणार आहे. हिंजवडी इंडस्ट्रिअल असोसिएशनचे अध्यक्ष मृत्युंजय सिंग व अन्य पदाधिकाऱ्यांनी या प्रस्तावाबाबतची माहिती दिली.

पीएमपीएमएलचे सहव्यवस्थापकीय संचालक प्रवीण आष्टीकर, उपप्रादेशिक परिवहन अधिकारी जितेंद्र पाटील आणि महाराष्ट्र राज्य औद्योगिक विकास महामंडळाचे अधिकारी यांच्यात बुधवारी या प्रस्तावाबाबत प्राथमिक चर्चाही झाली.

हिंजवडी औद्योगिक क्षेत्रातील विविध कंपन्यांमधील कर्मचाऱ्यांची ने-आण करण्यासाठी आठशे बसगाड्यांचा वापर होतो. बहुतेक सर्वच कंपन्यांनी त्या कंत्राटी पद्धतीने भाडेतत्त्वावर घेतल्या आहेत. सकाळी कर्मचाऱ्यांना कामावर सोडल्यानंतर सायंकाळी त्यांना परत सोडेपर्यंत या बसगाड्या विविध कंपन्यांच्या दारातच उभ्या असतात. या मधल्या वेळात या बसगाड्या सार्वजनिक वाहतुकीसाठी वापरता आल्यास पीएमपीएमएलला आणखी सुमारे आठशे गाड्या उपलब्ध होऊ शकतील. त्यामुळे शहरातील सार्वजनिक वाहतुकीवरील ताण काही प्रमाणात कमी होऊ शकेल, असेही त्यांनी स्पष्ट केले.

या योजनेला मूर्त स्वरूप आल्यास औद्योगिक वसाहतीतील गाड्यांचा पुरेपूर वापर होईल. या योजनेचे स्वरूप, त्यातील कायदेशीर बाबी व अंमलबजावणीसंदर्भातील ठोस प्रस्ताव लवकरच सादर करण्यात येणार आहे, असे सिंग यांनी स्पष्ट केले.

हिंजवडी इंडस्ट्रिअल असोसिएशनने पुढाकार घेऊन सादर केलेली ही योजना स्वागतार्ह आहे. जनमानसात सार्वजनिक वाहतूक व्यवस्थेबाबत असलेली आस्था त्यातून दिसते. पुढील महिन्यात प्रायोगिक स्वरूपात या योजनेची अंमलबजावणी करण्याचा विचार असल्याचे आष्टीकर यांनी सांगितले. या प्रयोगानंतरच तिच्या कायमस्वरूपी अंमलबजावणीबाबतचा प्रस्ताव तयार करणे शक्*य होईल, असेही ते म्हणाले.

http://www.esakal.com/esakal/2012110...3503829981.htm

Summary:
Software companies in Hinjewadi have proposed that the PMPML could use their buses for public transport. Over 800 buses are hired by the software companies to transport their employees. These buses could be used for public transport when they lie idle between their operating hours.

[p.raghavendra6]

Originally Posted by adam_india

http://www.esakal.com/esakal/2012110...3503829981.htm

Summary:
Software companies in Hinjewadi have proposed that the PMPML could use their buses for public transport. Over 800 buses are hired by the software companies to transport their employees. These buses could be used for public transport when they lie idle between their operating hours.

In other cities, local transport bodies rent their buses to Companies. Its other way around in Pune. Hmmm.

[saanvisharma20]

In last two yeas transportation in pune has been improved.This is also one of the most important factor in rise in real estate properties in pune.

[Indtrans]

From 1st Nov, 2012 PMPML has started bus service on "Sangvi to Hinjewadi" route no 321. This bus route is "Old Sangvi-Kate Puram-Pimple Gurav-Jawalkar Nagar-Pimple Saudagar-Shivar Garden-Jagtap Dairy-Kalewadi Phata-Kaspate Wasti-Mankar Chowk-Wakad-Hinjewadi gaon- Phase1-Phase2".
The timings are:
From Sangvi: 7.10,9.10,9.30,9.50,10.10,11.30
From Hinjewadi: 16.30,17.50,18.05,20.30.

The frequency of this service need to be increased. Also there is demand that the bus should be up to Phase3.

[Indtrans]

There is huge demand for "Katraj to Hinjewadi bus" via bypass. People working in Hinjewadi and staying at Katraj, Balajinagar,Vadgaon Budruk,Dhayri, Narhe, Ambegaon,Warje,Malwadi,Kothrud Depo,Bhusari,Bavdhan, Sus Road will get benefit of this service.

[adam_india]

Have to say I've seen the condition of some JNNURM buses and the PMPML has really done a pathetic job in maintaining them. No hope from PMPML. No matter how good the buses delivered to them are, they will make sure they will turn to scrap in some years. Absoutely zero sense of how to maintain bus bodies and the like. I've been seeing a few buses in which the rear windows have been boarded up, making it potentially unsafe in case of accidents. PMPML should be taken to court for putting the lives of passengers in danger! @#&*!

[prince02]

Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd adds new buses to fleet, but keeps them off the roads

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/18668283.cms

PUNE: When the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd added new buses to its fleet last year, it would have ideally translated into more routes being added or services on existing ones getting beefed up. However, a recent central government report has shown that PMPML did not optimally utilize its fleet for shortage of drivers and conductors.

The report, prepared by the union ministry of road transport and highways, gives details of the performance of 38 road transport undertakings including that of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (referred to as Pune Mahamandal in the report) and analyses the performance of transport undertakings in the last financial year (2011-12) as compared to the previous year (2010-11).

The report finds that PMPML's bus fleet utilization dropped from 79 % in 2010-11 to 72.4% in 2011-12, during which time PMPML had added 85 new buses to its fleet of 1,549 buses.

Fleet utilization of the PMPML is incidentally lower compared to undertakings such as Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), Mumbai's BEST, or the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), which incidentally owns the highest number of buses. MSRTC's fleet utilization dipped marginally from 94.7% to 94.6%, while that of BEST dipped from 87.7% to 84 % and APSRTC's from 99.5 % to 96.6 %. The number of passengers each bus ferried per day too dropped from 795 to 639.

Low fleet utilization resulted in a substantial decrease in the number of passengers travelling per day. While nearly 12.5 lakh passengers travelled every day in the year 2010-11, the number reduced to 10.61 lakh per day in 2011-12. The number of passengers each bus ferried per day dropped from 795 to 639.

PMPML officials pointed out that a large number of buses do not go on the road because of shortage of bus drivers and conductors but said that now they have been recruiting for these positions and that fewer buses were remaining off the roads for this reason now.

Officials added that PMPML is reducing the number of old and rickety buses in its fleet overaged by scrapping them. According to the report, the average of PMPML buses is 7.3 years. Currently, PMPML has 1559 self-owned buses and another 272 buses which it has hired.

Prashant Jagtap, who is on the board of directors, said PMPML needs to improve its efficiency by proper maintenance of buses, better management and by implementing cost cutting measures. PMPML bus services also have to be very affordable, he said. Jugal Rathi of the PMP Pravasi Sangh has time and again pointed out to the management that a large number of bus schedules are not being operated for various reasons and that the number of passengers travelling per day has reduced significantly.

PMPML's revenue loss claim a mystery

It has been six years since the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal - the city's public bus transport undertaking was formed. While officials have been saying that PMPML is running into losses, its extent however is still a mystery, so much so that the details of financial performance have not been shared even with the union ministry of road transport and highways.

The ministry has recently come out with a report on the physical and financial performance of 38 road transport undertakings including that of the PMPML. Among all the 38 undertakings in the country, PMPML is the onlyone undertaking whose details on several aspects relating to its financial performance are not listed in the report. "Not reported'' is all that is said in the report on the financial performance of the PMPML.

The financial performance of all the transport undertakings of the country have been measured on several counts such as total revenue, total cost, net profit or loss, revenue earned per kilometer, cost incurred per kilometer, profit or loss per kilometer, cost of fuel and lubricants, cost of tyres, tubes and spares and expenditure incurred on staff.

The ministry's report states that the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation earned a profit of Rs 63.97 crore in the last financial year (2011-12). Mumbai's BEST however incurred a loss of over Rs 368 crore. Pune is often compared to Bangalore in terms of city infrastructure and public transport services. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation which has implemented several innovative measures and best practices for improving public transport has reported a profit of Rs 25.06 crore in the last financial year.

When contacted, PMPML's chairman and managing director Ramchandra Joshi said he had not seen the report but added that all details are sent to the ministry through the Central Institute of Road Transport. Prashant Jagtap, who is on the board of directors, said that the audit was not done and that the balance sheet was not shared with the entire board. of directors. "Meetings of the board of directors are held once in two months. We have asked for all the financial details, but they are not given'', he said.

Highlights of the report on performance of state road transport undertakings

** Marginal increase of 0.96 % in fleet strength in the last financial year (2011-12). Number of buses held by 38 state transport undertakings increased to 1,31,824 from 1,30,563 in the previous year.

** Largest fleet of 22,170 buses operated by Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC)

** Four states - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu - hold 66 % of the total fleet among the 38 state road transport undertakings

** Average vehicle productivity increased to 312.3 km/bus/day from 311.5 km/bus/day

** Number of passengers during the year increased by 1.2 %. The total number of passengers increased from 2877.88 crore to 2,912.64 crore

** Maharashtra state road transport corporation posted the highest profit of Rs 63.97 crore in 2011-12. Delhi Transport Corporation incurred the highest loss of Rs 2,431 crore. Only five of 37 transport undertakings (Pune's PMPML did not provide the details), posted profit in 2011-12.

** Staff and fuel costs are major elements of operating cost. Staff cost was 39.6 %, while fuel cost was 30.1 %

** India continues to have one of the lowest vehicle ownerships and bus penetrations amongst some select developed countries and some developing countries.

** Maharashtra state road transport corporation (MSRTC), Karnataka state road transport corporation and Andhra Pradesh increased their fleet of buses in 2011-12-MSRTC's fleet increased by 589, KSRTC's by 457 and APSRTC's by 368.*

(The points above highlights pertain to only 38 road transport undertakings that submitted their report to the ministry)

[adam_india]

Shivaji Nagar rly station to get facelift soon

Pune's Shivajinagar station is one of the five stations in the country identified by the Indian Railways for re-development, under the new Public Private Partnership (PPP) model adopted by it for modernisation of railway infrastructure.

The plan includes development of well-designed and spacious platforms, high-quality waiting rooms, avenues for easy access to the platforms, congestion free concourses, modern and state of the art catering facilities among other things.

Five railway stations in the country selected to be developed in the first phase of the ambitious project of the railway include Anand Vihar and Bijwasan stations in New Delhi, Habibganj in Bhopal, Shivajinagar (Pune) and Chandigarh Railway Station.

Contracts for architectural consultancy for four stations have been awarded, while the fifth is yet to be finalised. Tender for financial and bid advisory consultant for these stations is also under finalisation.

"Shivajinagar is the only station from the Central Railway selected for the project. The plan is to exploit the commercial potential of the railway land and the station space for redevelopment of the stations. The announcement has recently been done and nitty-gritties of the project are yet to be finalised," said V A Malegaonkar, chief PRO, Central Railway.

"The project is being sponsored by an Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRDC), a joint venture between our two Public Sector Utilities IRCON and RLDA. These five stations have been given to this corporation for development," a press statement issued by the Railways, read.

In his budget speech, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had envisaged investments of Rs 1 lakh crore through public private partnership (PPP) projects.

For want of the availability of funds, the infrastructure development of Pune station, Shivajinagar station and other suburban stations in the city is pending for years. In this light, the creation of state of the art facilities at the Shivajinagar station comes as a great relief , especially for the local commuters.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sh...soon/1090068/0

[adam_india]

1,000 more buses needed to improve traffic: study

Though the transport experts and activists are urging Puneites to travel by Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses to improve the traffic situation in the city, not all can travel by them.

According to a study, PMPML is nearly 1,000 buses short than the required numbers to provide good public transport service to Pune.

The study has been carried out by the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) for PMPML to understand the requirement of buses for Pune’s population.

For this study, CIRT has considered the population of Pune city, PCMC and surrounding areas where PMPML is already providing its services. As per the calculations, the population comes to 62,90,764. According to the study, PMPML requires at least 2,328 buses to provide good transport service.

However, at present, the PMPML has only around 1,500 buses to carry passengers. One of the CIRT officials told DNA,

“We have carried out this study for PMPML so that it can improve the bus service of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. During the study, we realised that PMPML does not have enough buses to carry passengers. Unless that number is increased, the services cannot improve.”

The official further added, “We have considered a formula of one bus for nearly 2,000 people. According to that figure, PMPML should have least 2,328 buses of which 1,746 should be owned by PMPML while 582 can be hired from private contractors. However, at present, PMPML has around 1,400 to 1,500 buses, which are operational.”

PMP Pravasi Manch, a city-based NGO, had obtained some documents from PMPML officials, which mentions that only 1,313 buses were on road in January. Jugal Rathi, president of PMP Pravasi Manch said, “According to the information, the PMPML has 1,852 buses of which 272 are hired. However out of the total fleet, only 1,313 buses were operational. The statistics clearly shows that merely by increasing the number of buses, the public transport problem of the city cannot be resolved. The transport body will have to maintain these buses as well as rationalise the routes.”

When contacted, Pravin Ashtikar, joint managing director of PMPML, said, “ We are sending a proposal to the Centre to allot nearly 1,000 buses for Pune under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). If we get these buses then citizens will surely an improvement in PMPML’s service.”

DNA

[adam_india]

1,000 swanky shelters to make wait for buses less of an ordeal

Commuters have been braving the sun and the rain while waiting at stations and request stops in shoddy shelters for buses run by Pune Mahanagar Palika Mahamandal Limited (PMPML).
Hope now rests with the public transport undertaking's effort to instal over 1,000 well-designed bus shelters in the city.They will be constructed on a public-private partnership basis in the next eight months and would be ready for use by early next year.Meanwhile,commuters will have to brave the summer and the monsoon.
Bus commuters groups have been complaining about the hardships people face because bus shelters are missing.In the last seven years since the PMPML came into existence,officials have been claiming that construction of bus shelters would be completed by the civic bodies on a build-operate and transfer basis.However,there were no detailed plans.
Of the total 4,900-odd bus stops in Pune,Pimpri Chinchwad and the fringe areas,there are bus shelters at only 1,000 locations.Even these are in a rundown condition.Thetransport undertaking has now planned to fix bus shelters at 1,019 locations,including 652 in Pune and 367 in Pimpri Chinchwad.
PMPML's joint managing director Pravin Ashtikar said two designs have been selecteda Mumbai pattern,and the other a Ludhiana pattern.These bus shelters,which will come in two sizes,will be made of stainless steel for long life and cleanliness.PMPML will select bidders who will finance and construct the bus shelters.They will be responsible for the maintenance of bus shelters for 15 years.In return,bidders will be allowed to display advertisements on the shelters to earn revenue.

source: TOI

[adam_india]

5,000 unipoles to dot skyline with information on buses

As many as 5,000 unipoles along bus routes will inform commuters about the name and location of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus stops.A unipole is a frame structure mounted atop a single steel pole or column.
At a meeting of PMPML's board of directors last month,the transport utility had decided to instal the unipoles to help a large number of citizens recognize the name of the bus stop,the location and bus route numbers and their frequency.
The unipoles,made of stainless steel,will display the PMPML's logo and other information of use to commuters,PMPML officials said.The project will be on a public-private partnership basis for 15 years,where the bidders will bear the cost of the unipoles and in return will be allowed to earn revenue by displaying their advertisements.
Jugal Rathi of the PMP Pravasi Manch said many bus stops had no information boards.`People find it difficult to locate the bus stop and bus drivers halt buses away from them,"he said.

source: TOI

[adam_india]

Soon, city vehicle population to cross 35 L mark

Puneites are not likely to get any respite from the traffic congestion as city’s vehicle population is expected to cross 35 lakh mark by the end of this month. Nearly 14 lakh vehicles have been added to city’svehicle population in the last ten years.

Vehicle population of Pune including Pimpri Chinchwad has already crossed the 34.90 lakh mark at the end of February. The registrations for new vehicles are expected to rise in March before the end of financial year.

Although Pune is growing rapidly, the poor public transport system has not been able to keep up pace with Pune’s growth rate. While the city is expanding in every direction, there is poor connectivity of public transport system and therefore Puneites are forced to use private vehicles.

While Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad areas have a population of nearly 55 lakh, the vehicle population is nearing 35 lakh mark. According to the regional transport officials, nearly 700 vehicles are registered with the Pune RTO daily of which most of the vehicles are two-wheelers.

According to the Pune RTO’s statistics, till February end, the vehicle population of Pune including Pimpri Chinchwad was 34,90,569. Out of the total vehicle population, Pune city has a total of 24,53,717 vehicles while Pimpri Chinchwad has a population of 10,36,852
vehicles.

Out of the total 24,53,717 vehicles in Pune, nearly 75% of them that is 18,40,834 are two-wheelers. Apart from two-wheelers, the city has 4,30,440 four-wheelers which includes 3,74,445 small cars. In the year 2003, Pune had a total of 10,57,379 vehicles registered with Pune RTO.

The twin city Pimpri Chinchwad is also facing a problem of poor public transport system and it has a total of 10,36,852 vehicles of which 7,72,655 are two-wheelers and 1,55,943 are four-wheelers.

Arun Yeola, regional transport officer of Pune division said, “The pace at which new vehicles are getting registered with the Pune RTO, we are expecting the number of vehicles to cross the 35 lakh mark at the end of the financial year. The number has already crossed 34.90 lakh mark in February.”

http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/report_...l-mark_1816794

[adam_india]

272 old buses to go off Pune roads

Nearly 500 buses, leased from private contractors, will be added to the PuneMahanagarParivahanMahamandal Limited's (PMPML) fleet in the next few months.

The PMPML had invited offers from private contractors for semi-low floor buses will comply with Euro IV norms and have dual doors opening both on the left and the right side. The transport utility has in its fleet of 1,500 at least 272 buses that have been hired from private operators. The contract period of these buses will end soon. While these old buses will be taken off the roads, 500 new ones will start plying once PMPML selects the contractors.

At least five contractors have approached PMPML. Officials on Thursday said the offers will be scrutinized and a final decision would follow. The buses will be provided by private operators and PMPML will pay them charges on a per km basis.

The buses will be hired for seven years with the condition that each bus should run for 6,000 km per month. The private transport operator has to employ his own drivers and the PMPML will deploy bus conductors. It will also get the revenue earned through sales of tickets. At least 90 % of the buses should ply on a daily basis throughout the contract period, PMPML has said.

The private operators have to make their own parking arrangements as the public transport company has inadequate number of depots. A proposal for redevelopment of depots by using additional FSI is pending with the Pune Municipal Corporation for the last one year.

TOI

[adam_india]

27 bids for Intelligent Traffic Management System
Seven contractors in race for hired buses
PMPML depots in bad shape

Read: http://epaper.sakaaltimes.com/Sakaal...arge/page2.htm

[adam_india]

Pune: New buses that will be introduced on city roads will be safer,more comfortable for both passengers and drivers,and will be equipped with in-built ITS technology,if the municipal corporations of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad act on the recommendations of the union ministry of urban development.The ministry has recommended these features to 61 municipal corporations that come under JNNURM.
PMPML,the city public bus transport company has already procured 650 buses under JNNURM funding.However,officials say it plans to make a fresh proposal to procure additional buses that would conform with the new specifications.
Officials of the Pune-based Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT),which was one of the institutions that made suggestions on urban bus specifications,said they took into account requirements of urban commuters while making them.Specifications have also been listed for Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) buses.
According to the report on urban bus specifications,buses plying within the city should also be made more attractive so as to encourage more people to use them.They should also be made accessible to people with physical,sensory and cognitive impairments,it states.
Prashant Kakade,coordinator of the management development centre and a specialist in traffic engineering solutions at CIRT says urban public transport is different from state transport and that make these urban bus specifications significant.In cities,a large number of people,including senior citizens,children,women and even those with physical impairments use public transport.All these factors have been taken into account while drafting the specifications.For example,the width of the gangway is wider in urban bus specifications because the number of standing passengers is quite high, he said.Another factor taken into consideration is the insistence on low floor buses to help senior citizens board the bus.For BRTS buses,level boarding facilities have been recommended.
The report lists specifications for various types of buses based on the citys requirements.Besides specifications for standard size normal and BRTS buses,mini and midi buses,there are specifications for standard size premium segment,and intelligent transport systems.Kakade said that the specifications are compulsory for JNNURM buses,as there will be a third party inspection when the buses are delivered to the cities by suppliers.The third party inspection will be done by institutions such as CIRT and Automotive Research Association of India,he said.
The cost of travel in these buses would be more than in normal buses,but their performance would be better in terms of fuel efficiency and would be safer,more comfortable for passengers and drivers.Buses will be able to move at improved speed,while noise levels in the buses will be less,Kakade said.Instead of using metal which adds to the dead weight of the buses and affects speed,the buses would be made of fibre,he added.
Incidentally,PMPML has planned to install intelligent transport system requirements in the 650 BRTS buses it has already procured under JNNURM.The undertaking has recently called for offers from private contractors for installation of the ITS requirements.For BRTS operations,the buses have level boarding facility,officials said.

Few Indian cities have organized city bus service


The high powered expert committee on urban infrastructure and the ministry of urban development has estimated that cities in India need about 1.5 lakh buses that would cost approximately Rs 60,000 crores in the next 20 years.The report further cites that only 20 of 85 cities with over 5 lakh population (in 2009) offered an organised city bus service.The recommendations of the working group on urban transport for 12th five year plan includes introduction of organized public transport in all two lakh plus population cities and state capitals,as one of its goals.The report asserts that city bus services have been the major mode of public transport,and this will continue.

Recommendations Made

n Make buses safer,user-friendly

n Make buses accessible to people with physical,sensory and cognitive impairments

n Make gangway wider for standing passengers

n Make buses attractive to encourage more people to use it

TOI

[adam_india]

PCMC gears up to complete 4 BRTS routes by August 2014

he Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has claimed that four of its Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) projects will be completed in phases by August 2014.
Except for one corridor,the rest will be completed this year,the civic body has said in its written replies to queries by NCP corporator R S Kumar.There have already been huge delays in road-widening works for the corridors to be readied.
The civic body had started work on widening four major roads in the civic limits to increase connectivity and improve public transport to more than 10 lakh people in 2006.Four BRTS corridors are being developed,one along the Pune-Mumbai highway,the second on Aundh-Ravet,Wakad-Nashik Phata and Kalewadi Phata-Dehu Alandi roads.
However,except for the 12-km highway stretch between Nigdi and Dapodi,there has been no road widening because of delays in land acquisition.The widening of the highway stretch to 61 m was completed more than five years ago.However,the municipal corporation has not been able to implement the BRTS project.
Civic officials admitted that road-widening works have been delayed due to land acquisition and that they are hoping to meet the deadlines for completing the BRTS projects.
As per the civic administrations claims,two projects will be completed,this year.These include the first BRTS route on the highway stretch,and the Nashik Phata-Wakad Road stretch.The work on developing the second corridor on Aundh-Ravet Road began in September 2008 and is expected to be completed by this December.Work on the fourth route between Kalewadi Phata-Dehu Alandi Road began in August 2009 and is expected to be completed by next August.
During the presentation of the draft budget,municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi had announced that the BRTS will be operational on the highway stretch by January 2014.However,Shiv Sena members had raised queries about road safety.
The civic body subsequently appointed an agency to look into the road safety issues of the BRTS operations on the highway stretch.The BRTS operations on the first corridor have been mired in controversies related to the design of the buses.The PCMC insisted that it wanted buses with doors on the left and right because all bus stations on the BRTS corridor in its limits will be on the right while those in Pune were on the left.
The PMPML bought such buses with doors opening on both sides a year ago but the BRTS corridors have not been completed and the buses are being used for routine passenger services.
Shirish Poreddy,spokesperson for the engineering department of the PCMC,said,Work on widening of the Pune-Mumbai highway has been completed.The two-storied flyover at Nashik phata chowk along the highway stretch will be completed this October.

TOI