MSRTC to Run Over 600 Special Buses From Pune For Diwali Rush
Pune, 13th October 2026: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will operate more than 600 special buses from Pune between November 4 and 7 to accommodate the surge in passenger traffic during the Diwali holidays.
The additional services will operate from Pimpri Chinchwad, Swargate and Shivajinagar bus stations as reservations on regular services are filling up. With train reservations also nearing capacity, the additional buses are expected to provide relief to passengers travelling to their hometowns for the festival.
More than 400 special buses will operate from the Pimpri Chinchwad depot, catering primarily to passengers travelling to Marathwada, Vidarbha and Khandesh. The MSRTC has also hired a nearby ground for bus parking. The depot’s connectivity to the metro network is expected to make it more accessible to passengers.
Earlier, additional buses for these regions operated from the Khadki Cantonment area. However, the location was considered inconvenient for passengers, prompting the transport corporation to explore alternatives. A site opposite the Wakdewadi bus station could not be secured as it is under the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).
Swargate bus station will operate 200 additional buses for western Maharashtra, including Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur, as well as the Konkan region. Special services will also be planned from Shivajinagar bus station.
Regular bus services will continue during the period, while the MSRTC is making arrangements to manage the expected rush at bus stations.
More than 85 regular buses operating from the Pune division to Vidarbha, Marathwada and western Maharashtra have already been fully booked for Diwali, indicating strong demand for travel during the festive period.
The MSRTC is appointing officials to coordinate the additional services. Online reservations for the special buses are expected to open within the next two days. Passengers will be able to book tickets through the corporation’s official website, mobile application and reservation counters.
