Pune News: MSRTC Plans 450 Extra Buses for Summer Vacation Travel Rush
Pune, : With the onset of summer vacations, a large number of families settled in Pune for jobs, education and business are expected to travel to their native places, leading to heavy rush at Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus stations. To manage the seasonal surge, the Pune division of MSRTC has planned to operate 450 additional buses between April 15 and June 15.
These additional buses will cater to passengers travelling to major destinations such as Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Nashik, Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalgaon, Parbhani, Dharashiv and the Konkan region. The buses will operate from major depots including Swargate, Shivajinagar, Pune Station and Pimpri-Chinchwad, along with taluka-level depots across the district.
Usually, the travel rush begins after April 12–15 when school examinations conclude. However, this year some schools will remain open until April 25 due to delayed exam schedules, and therefore the peak travel rush is expected to start later than usual.
During April and May, many passengers book train and private bus tickets well in advance, resulting in full bookings even before the holidays begin. In such situations, MSRTC buses often become the primary travel option. Officials said the addition of new buses in the fleet has made ST travel safer and more comfortable for passengers.
The additional services will include routes such as Borivali, Thane, Dadar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Kalyan and Pandharpur from the Swargate depot; Mumbai-bound services from the Pune Station depot; and routes to destinations such as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Latur, Dhule, Akola, Solapur, Bhimashankar and Borivali from the Shivajinagar depot.
“Extra buses are being deployed for the convenience of passengers. Citizens should prefer safe travel by MSRTC instead of using private vehicles,” said Arun Siya, Divisional Controller, Pune.
