To support municipal election operations, the administration has reserved as many as 1,056 buses from the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) fleet. This decision has resulted in a sharp cut in regular city bus services, directly affecting daily commuters. Of the 1,750 buses that normally operate across the city, more than half have been diverted exclusively for election-related duties. As a consequence, the frequency of PMPML bus services has dropped significantly, creating travel difficulties for thousands of passengers who rely on public transport for work, education, and essential travel within urban and suburban areas.
PMPML operates passenger services across Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) limits, serving more than 10 lakh commuters every day. However, since a large number of buses are being used to transport ballot boxes and election materials, only 694 buses are currently available for public use. This shortage has forced passengers to wait for long durations at bus stops, while several regular routes are now operating at intervals of nearly one hour. The reduced availability of buses has also increased congestion at major stops across the city.
Two days ago, the PMPML administration had issued a public notice informing citizens about the temporary reduction in services. Despite this advance announcement, the high volume of passengers meant that the buses in operation were heavily overcrowded. Delays in arrivals further worsened the situation, leaving many commuters stranded at bus stops for extended periods. With only 35 percent of the total bus fleet running on city roads during this period, passengers have borne the brunt of the disruption, highlighting the significant impact of election-related arrangements on public transport services.