Pune’s bus service is running at barely one-third capacity of what the city actually needs, said Mahesh Awhad, the newly appointed Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) on Wednesday. He also said that PMPML would add 2,500 buses to the fleet by the end of this year, in what would mark a considerable expansion the public transport body has seen in years.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Awhad outlined the scale of the challenge. “As per international norms, every lakh of population should be served by 60 buses. Pune’s population ranges between 1.03 and 1.04 crore, which means we ideally need 6,228 buses. We currently have a fleet of 1,961. In other words, we are running PMPML at roughly one-third of the required capacity,” he said.

To bridge the shortfall of over 4,000 buses, Awhad has outlined a phased procurement plan. “By July this year, PMPML expects to induct 1,000 new buses under its own ownership. An additional 500 buses will be brought in under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, and a further 1,000 electric buses will be sourced with central government support, also to be owned by PMPML. Added together, this would bring approximately 2,500 new buses onto Pune’s roads by the close of 2026, lifting the total fleet size to around 4,500,” he said.

The electric bus push is already in motion. “The tender process for 1,000 e-buses will in all probability be completed in April, following which a purchase order will be issued,” Awhad said.

Beyond fleet numbers, Awhad acknowledged that operational issues, including poor punctuality and bus bunching, remain persistent problems that erode commuter confidence. Bus bunching is  where two or more buses on the same route arrive at a stop simultaneously despite being scheduled to run evenly spaced, is a particular irritant.

“Internationally, the benchmark is a bus frequency of once every five minutes; also, bus stops should ideally be within a five-minute walk of any commuter. We are gathering inputs from IT data software to work towards that standard,” he said.

Running a fleet of fewer than 2,000 buses across a city of over a crore people does not come cheap – and PMPML’s finances have long been in the red.

When asked how the organisation manages its deficit, Awhad said about the support from Pune’s two municipal corporations. “As of now, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) contributes Rs 36 crore per month, while the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) contributes Rs 20 crore, a combined Rs 56 crore every month. That is what keeps us operational,” he said.

Awhad’s appointment follows the removal of Pankaj Deore, who had served as CMD for less than seven months. The state government relieved Deore of the post and named Awhad, until recently the Chief Executive Officer of the Maharashtra Medical Goods Procurement Authority in Mumbai, as his replacement.

Deore had taken charge in mid-July 2025 from Deepa Mudhol-Munde, who had herself assumed office in July 2024. Neither Mudhol-Munde nor Deore, nor several of their predecessors, managed to complete a full three-year term at the organisation. In the 19 years since PMPML’s formation, the transport body has seen more than 21 CMDs come and go. Deore was the 22nd to hold the post.