Pathetic public bus service in Pune

The headline will find an echo with the mind of most of the readers here. There are plenty of problems around public bus service in Pune and I remember when I came to the city for the first time a lot of people used to say it is deliberately kept in a messy state by the two wheeler production lobby. While this might be true, the fact that some of the problems in the PMPML buses are very basic in nature and this is the state in one of the better cities in India, amazes me to no end.

The biggest problems with PMPML in my view are:

1. Very few direct routes.
2. Low frequency of buses. You have to wait for 15-20 mins minimum to catch bus.
3. Hostile staff which still lives in ancient Indian PSU(Public Sector Undertaking) mindset.
4. Badly maintained fleet of buses.

Today, I wrote an email to the PTTF(Pune Traffic Transport Forum, www.pttf.net) of which I am a member about a bad experience my sister had recently with our PMPML bus service. Here is the email:

Hi,

Since, we frequently encourage people in this forum and elsewhere to use public transport, I thought of bringing up experiences by my one family member and my friends with our PMT buses.

It is a well known limitation of our bus route planning that we have too fewer direct bus routes and most people have to go to corporation to go anywhere from their destination. Not only its an additional hassle to change over, but it is often the most painful point in this public bus usage exercise.

For instance, a few days ago, my sister wanted to come from railway station back to home, at Baner. She went to corporation bus stop and located a bus supposed to go to Baner in around 15-20 mins of time. She boarded the bus and the bus start getting filled with people. After 20 mins, there was a sudden rush and people started getting off the bus and started climbing on to a different bus. People informed my surprised sister that the bus to go on the Baner route has been changed! And to her shock, she found the bus drivers and conductors standing there, smiling in mischief at the plight of the people. What there were thinking it was- a prank?

Anyway she changed the bus and climbed on to the new bus. After 10 mins in the "new" bus- hold your breath- the same event of bus change happened again! People started scrambling on their way out from the door to climb on the new bus yet again! Not to mention- the PMC people standing nearby repeated their "smiling at your plight" exercise again.

In the end, my sister, whom I had asked to use public transport, managed to come after 1.45 hours from corporation to Baner and was aghast at this callousness and inefficienct operations by PMC. I asked her if she noted the bus numbers and the name of the PMC people, but she told me that she was too taken aback to do that.

Before, anyone here starts to discount this as an one-off incident, let me tell you that this experience has been shared with me by one cousin and a friend of mine about 1-2 years ago too.

On this forum, we talk of metro(not too many supporters though), BRTS(quite a big following). But shouldn't our first step be to make regular bus service reliable and customer friendly? Shouldn't there be more direct routes? Shouldn't the frequency be increased/decreased as per the latest traffic load? Shouldn't PMC staff be taken to task when they behave in a hostile/callous manner to a customer?

I tend to think that the argument made against metro, that Pune is not as big yet, holds good for BRTS also to some extent. We can do without BRTS if the PMPML is run efficiently. But without an efficient PMPML, dreaming of BRTS looks ill conceived. This is just a feeling, so let me know if I am wrong here.

I would also be very eager to hear about:

1. steps, we as a group, have taken to improve PMPML.
2. steps we can take now to this end. I would be happy to volunteer.

Thanks,

And soon got a reply from a senior group member, who is known for his rebellious streaks, to trash this expectation that people should use public transport in place of private vehicles, in the current conditions of PMPML bus service:

The expectation is that this moth eaten institution of the PMPML is to replace all our personal travel vehicles, unless we plan to cycle or walk all the way, all day. All plans are hinged on this great hope that the PMPML with its third rate fleet, apathetic staff and clueless management is going to substitute 14 lakh pvt vehicles. The efforts to improve the PMPML are on for several years now. And we all know that the experience u have narrated is the rule and not the exception. How many of us use public transport and leave our scooter/car behind? Only those who can afford to use the rickshaw.

Hmmm. Sad, but true. But I would choose to fight the system. I hope as a group of citizens who want to improve things, we are able to bring some change in this area.

P.S. I have been just invited to attend a meeting of PTTF and the new GM of PMPML on Friday 11 AM. Since it is a week day, it would be difficult to make it but I think I should. At least once. Will update if I do go.

PMPML ! Here I come!! :)