Overcrowded PMPML buses pose major safety risks to commuters amid almost stagnant fleet

Pune: Severely overcrowded PMPML buses, especially during peak morning and evening hours, have reignited passenger safety concerns after a young girl came under the wheels of a school vehicle while trying to get off the bus on Monday morning. She died on the spot on Sinhagad Road.“We are aware of the incident. Our checker went to the spot to investigate. Three or four girls had moved toward the front door as they were to get off at the approaching stop. When the bus stopped and the doors opened, the girl apparently felt dizzy and fell onto the road and a school bus on the left side ran over her,” PMPML PRO Kishor Chauhan told TOI. The bus belonged to Swargate depot and was carrying a large number of passengers, he said.Chauhan said drivers and conductors must ensure both doors remain shut before the bus moves. “There are standing instructions on this. What exactly happened in this case is being looked into,” he said.This everyday overcrowding of buses goes largely unchecked, and conductors rarely stop additional passengers from boarding the bus, passengers allege. Mismanagement and shortage of adequate fleet poses further inconvenience, they say.“Overcrowding mainly happens between 8am and 10.30am and again from 4pm to 8pm. Passengers keep entering and conductors do not stop them. In many cases, both the front and rear doors remain open. If there are rules, why are they not followed?” said regular commuter Kavita Shengte from Dhanori.Shengte also alleged that women’s reserved seats are often occupied by male passengers during peak hours, with little intervention from conductors.Under regulations, PMPML buses can carry 33 seated and 17 standing passengers. But with a fleet of 2,045 buses, of which only around 1,700-1,800 operate daily, overcrowding has become routine on several routes. PMPML carries an average of 11-12 lakh passengers a day, and the pressure is particularly high during peak hours, sources said.For commuters, packed buses also cause health and comfort issues. “I have had problems breathing and felt suffocated because of the crowd,” said Shivajinagar resident Naresh Dirke. He recalled instances when air-conditioning in e-buses was switched off to conserve battery power. “Imagine a packed bus with sealed windows and no air-conditioning,” he said.PMPML CMD Mahesh Awhad said route rationalisation is being implemented and nearly 2,000 additional buses are expected to join the fleet by Dec, which could ease the pressure.“People rush into whichever bus arrives because the next one can take 45 minutes to more than an hour. Apart from fewer buses, worsening traffic also delays services,” said Hadapsar resident Ashok Chavav.Sustainable mobility expert Pranjali Deshpande said govt needed to take a more serious view of PMPML’s condition. “The transport body is not growing. Even the additional buses being inducted are far fewer than what is needed. The focus should be on encouraging public transport, but that is missing,” she said.