Pune ST Extra Buses for Diwali: 1,200 Services From November 4 to 7; Vidarbha, Marathwada Buses Move to Pimpri-Chinchwad
MSRTC’s Pune division will run 1,200 extra buses for Diwali from November 4 to 7. Which depot serves which region, and tips for booking early.
Photo: Rsrikanth05 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pune, 1st November 2026: MSRTC’s Pune division will run 1,200 extra ST buses from 4 to 7 November for passengers travelling home for Diwali, and most buses to Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh will leave from Pimpri-Chinchwad this year, not Khadki.
Online booking for the extra services is already open, and regular buses will run as usual.
Where the extra buses go
“From November 4 to 7, we will operate 1,200 additional buses from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Swargate and Shivajinagar for Diwali travellers,” Pune ST divisional controller Arun Siya told Punekar News.
The split announced is:
- about 900 buses for Vidarbha, Khandesh and Marathwada
- about 300 buses for western Maharashtra and the Konkan
Which bus stand to go to
Check the boarding point on your ticket. This year it depends on where you are going.
- Pimpri-Chinchwad depot: most buses for Nagpur, Amravati, Jalgaon, Nanded, Latur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and the rest of Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh. These used to leave from the Khadki Cantonment area, which passengers found hard to reach.
- Swargate: buses for western Maharashtra and the Konkan, such as Satara, Kolhapur, Sangli and Ratnagiri.
- Shivajinagar (Wakdewadi): some special services as well.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad depot is connected to the Metro, which helps if you are carrying luggage from Swargate, Shivajinagar or the PCMC area. At Wakdewadi, the land opposite the bus stand belongs to PMRDA and could not be used for parking, so MSRTC has hired a nearby ground for the extra buses.
The route examples above are the usual MSRTC destinations for each region; the full list of extra services is on the booking site.
How to book
Book on the MSRTC website or the MSRTC bus reservation app, or at the depot counter. Railway reservations for Diwali fill up nearly two months ahead, so ST seats on popular routes go quickly in the last week.
On travel day, reach the depot 30 minutes early. Swargate and Shivajinagar get very crowded on the evenings of 5 and 6 November, so leave extra time for traffic on Shankarsheth Road and University Road.
MSRTC has not published fares for the extra services separately; they normally follow the regular ST fare chart for each bus type.
What else is moving for Diwali
If you prefer the train, see our list of Diwali special trains from Pune, Hadapsar and Khadki. For festival dates, read our Diwali 2026 calendar.
Frequently asked questions
How many extra ST buses will run from Pune for Diwali 2026?
MSRTC’s Pune division will run 1,200 extra buses from 4 to 7 November 2026.
From where will ST buses to Vidarbha and Marathwada leave?
Most of them will leave from the Pimpri-Chinchwad depot this year, instead of Khadki.
Can I book Diwali ST buses online?
Yes. Reservations are open on the MSRTC website and app, as well as at depot counters.
