MSRTC adds 450 buses to its fleet to cater to Diwali rush

Pramod Nehul, an MSRTC official from the Pune division, stated that passengers will not face inconvenience due to a shortage of buses. “The regular services will continue to operate from Wakdewadi, Swargate, and other usual locations, while the new buses will run from the newly allocated site,” he said.

Rahul further said the MSRTC would not increase fares this year, even though they typically rise by 10 per cent during festivals. “There are no additional concessions this time apart from those already offered to women and senior citizens,” he added.

Regarding the focus on the Diwali operations, Nehul said, “While increasing the number of buses ensures smoother travel during festivals, the primary goal is improving connectivity between metro cities like Pune and rural areas. Regular buses will continue to run between metro routes, such as Pune and Mumbai, but these additional buses will primarily serve rural destinations like Yavatmal, Parbhani, Nanded, Akola, Wardha, and other parts of rural Maharashtra.”

Nehul also mentioned that all these buses can be booked online, eliminating the need for passengers to visit bus stands and wait in long queues for tickets. “People can download our app through Google Play Store and get their tickets as PDF files,” he said.