Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Nitin Narvekar, Joint Managing Director of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML), said three new charging stations for electric buses will be set up at Hinjawadi.
"As the number of electric buses increases, we will install more charging stations. It is a time-consuming process because a separate high-tension line is required for setting up charging stations. Currently, six charging stations (Wagholi, Baner, Nigdi, Pune station, Bhekrainagar and Charoli) are available for 473 e-buses of PMPML across 15 depots," said Narvekar. "The batteries of these e-buses are getting old as they were added to the fleet in 2015. Battery deterioration is a major problem for these buses," he added.
Meanwhile, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has handed over three land parcels to the PMPML at Bhosari, Ravet and Moshi.
"This expansion will enable PMPML to increase its fleet and enhance connectivity between Pune city and PCMC. Moreover, PMPML does not have enough parking space for its buses. Adding these depots will help reduce and solve parking problems. Soon, 400 new CNG buses will be added to PMPML's fleet. Due to the lack of parking space at Swargate, PMPML buses are being parked on the main road, leading to multiple thefts of bus parts. Thieves target the batteries of e-buses to sell them in the black market at rates of ₹8,000-10,000."
