Electric bus service to Sinhagad Fort suspended till safe travel issues resolved: Ajit Pawar

The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) had launched the special bus service on May 1. The forest department had then banned private vehicles in the Fort area, leaving tourists only two options — either climbing on foot or travelling in the electric buses. This was done to check air pollution in the area.

The PMPML had set up two electric charging stations on the Fort and planned two more at the foothill. A total of 25 electric buses were pressed into service on the route.

The buses had been in a few minor accidents on the narrow road to the Fort and at times their batteries had run out of charge. On Sunday, the service was disrupted due to unavailability of sufficiently charged buses as well as protests by local residents, which had left tourists stranded on the Fort for some time.

According to PMPML, it is looking at other options before restarting the service, like procuring smaller electric buses and increasing the number of charging stations at the Fort. The district administration is also planning to widen the road to the Fort, sources said.

Local residents have been opposing the special bus service since it was launched, citing loss of livelihood. They were running private vehicle services to commute visitors from the foothill to the summit.