Buses,few and far between

Owing to poor public transport,most IT companies in Hinjewadi have hired buses and cabs for employees. These modes have their own set of problems. Office buses have low frequency and stick to specific routes. Cab services are seen as unsafe following incidents of crime. “The Infotech Park is 30 km from my residence. I can’t drive such a long distance every day and rely on transport provided by the company,” said Smita Jadhav,who travels to the IT hub from Wadgaon Budhruk.

Company buses have poor frequency. “If we miss the bus,we are stuck. There is no other mode of safe transport to office. There have been times when I wanted to return home early owing to illness,but could not as office buses run at specific times. There is no proper public transport service.” These factors forced software engineer Soham Bhagwat to use his own vehicle. “I stay with my wife and two-year-old daughter in Kothrud,20 km from Hinjewadi. Commuting is a big problem. I use the motorbike and take the highway to reach office as it is convenient to make it to my house instead of waiting for the office bus,” he said. A good public transport system could have avoided all this trouble,he says.

Taking note of commuters’ inconvenience,the PMC has mooted AC buses. “The civic body has to provide a good means of transport for the thousands who travel to the infotech park daily. The poor public transport has made many use their own vehicles and compelled companies to introduce cabs and buses,which in turn adds to the traffic problems,” said PMC standing committee chairman Ganesh Bidkar.

The PMC will introduce,on a pilot basis,an efficient bus service to the IT Park,he said. The AC buses will have mobile and laptop chargers. “We want to provide better and safer public transport to citizens employed in the infotech park,” Bidkar said.

Kondhwa resident Anurag Naik,who works in a BPO in Hinjewadi,said an increase in frequency of PMPML buses to Hinjewadi was needed. “We don’t expect AC buses with charging points for mobile phones or laptops. We need an increase in frequency of public transport buses,” he added.