Transport bodies struggle to get decent ridership

PUNE: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) are struggling to get decent ridership off peak hours.
PMPML traffic manager Anant Waghmare said the number of passengers is high only in the peak hours. “The rest of the day, buses are nearly empty,” he said.
“The load factor of the 80 buses operating in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation areas is just 10% on an average,” PMPML chief Nayana Gunde said.
MSRTC, which had started buses in the outskirts of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, is similarly staring down the barrel. “Not more than 22 passengers are being allowed in each of the 50 buses. However, only 5-10 passengers travel on most buses, affecting revenue,” a MSRTC (Pune) official said.
Both transport bodies, however, said they found a temporary fix.
“We have three central workshops located in Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur. They will be used to build bodies of private buses. MSRTC will take orders from private players in this regard and hopes to get some additional income,” the MSRTC official added.
A PMPML official said they too were planning some measures. “We are contacting different private firms in industrial areas and trying to get them to engage our buses for employee transport,” the official said.