Pune ST division to run 1,200 extra Diwali buses, 900 for Vidarbha, Khandesh and Marathwada

Anticipating a rush of passengers heading to their villages for Diwali, the Pune division of the State Transport (ST) corporation has planned 1,200 extra buses this time. Of these, 900 will serve passengers travelling to Vidarbha, Khandesh and Marathwada, so the bulk of the ST's red buses (Lalpari) will head to these regions. The remaining 300 extra buses will run to Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara.

The special buses will leave from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Swargate and Shivajinagar between November 4 and 7. For four days, passengers will be able to get village-bound buses from these three points in Pune.

At Diwali, many people who live in Pune for work, business and studies go home to their villages. Demand for buses to Vidarbha, Marathwada, Khandesh and western Maharashtra therefore rises sharply in these days. Train reservations, meanwhile, are already full. For those who have to travel at the last minute, the ST will be an important option. To spare passengers inconvenience, extra vehicles have been arranged alongside the regular bus service.

This time, the special buses for Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh will leave from the Pimpri-Chinchwad depot. Earlier, more such buses were despatched from the Khadki Cantonment area. Given the shortage of space there, preference has been given to the Pimpri-Chinchwad depot this time. A nearby ground has been rented to park the buses, and they will depart according to a fixed schedule. The depot is connected to the metro, so passengers will also find it easy to reach.

For passengers going to Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara, more buses will run from Swargate bus station. Special buses have also been arranged from Shivajinagar bus station. Online reservation for these extra buses has begun. The ST administration has appealed to passengers to book tickets in advance and plan their journey.

Arun Siya, divisional controller of the Pune ST division, said extra buses from Pimpri-Chinchwad have been planned this year too for Diwali. The buses will run from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Swargate and Shivajinagar between November 4 and 7, and a total of 1,200 buses are planned from Pune this time. He urged passengers to make reservations and put safe travel first.