PMPML To Build Five New Bus Depots And Expand Five More Ahead Of 2,500 New Buses; Work To Finish Before December
PMPML is building five new depots and expanding five existing ones to make room for about 2,500 new buses arriving over the coming months.
Photo: Rsrikanth05 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pune, 29th October 2026: Pune’s buses are finally getting somewhere to park. PMPML plans to build five new depots and expand five existing ones to make room for around 2,500 new buses expected over the next several months.
The new depots will come up at Sutarwadi, behind Eklavya College in Kothrud, Kondhwa, Mohammadwadi and Bibwewadi. The ones being expanded are Balewadi, Shewalewadi, Market Yard, Kothrud and Kumbare Park, which is currently used for parking and charging.
PMPML wants to finish cabling and concreting at all these sites before December, so that charging points and parking are ready when the new buses start arriving. The depots will get electrical work for e-bus charging under the Centre’s PM E-DRIVE scheme and will park both electric and CNG buses.
Land from PMC
PMPML chairman and managing director Mahesh Awhad met Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishor Ram about the projects and the transfer of reserved land for the depots. The commissioner agreed to hand over the land. Awhad said the new and expanded depots would strengthen public transport in the city.
At an earlier meeting on October 21, the commissioner had asked officials to make sure depots have proper electricity supply, tarred internal roads and boundary walls. Several existing depots don’t have enough space for repairs, and buses often end up parked on roads at night, which is a safety risk.
Where the new buses are coming from
According to reports from that meeting, about 1,000 buses are expected by the end of March 2027 and around 1,500 in April 2027. Roughly 20% to 25% of the new fleet will be electric and the rest CNG.
The funding is coming from several places. For 1,000 CNG buses, PMRDA will put in ₹500 crore, PMC ₹150 crore and PCMC ₹100 crore, a total of ₹750 crore. Another 1,000 buses are expected under the Centre’s PM E-Drive scheme.
Why it matters
PMPML carries about 12 lakh passengers a day on 385 routes across an area of 7,256 sq km, and earns roughly ₹1.5 crore a day from fares. Its current fleet is around 2,000 buses, but only about 1,760 are available for service on a given day. Commuters who wait at crowded stops in Hadapsar or Hinjewadi during peak hours feel that shortfall every day.
If the new buses arrive on time and actually get on the road, waiting times should come down, especially on crowded routes to the IT parks and the city’s fringes. With the Metro also expanding, better feeder buses could make a real difference to how people get around.
For more on getting around the city, read our Pune Metro guide, or follow our traffic and transport updates.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many new buses will PMPML get?
PMPML expects about 2,500 new buses, with around 1,000 by March 2027 and about 1,500 in April 2027.
Where are PMPML’s new bus depots?
New depots are planned at Sutarwadi, behind Eklavya College in Kothrud, Kondhwa, Mohammadwadi and Bibwewadi. Balewadi, Shewalewadi, Market Yard, Kothrud and Kumbare Park depots will be expanded.
Will the new PMPML buses be electric?
About 20% to 25% of the new buses are expected to be electric, with the rest running on CNG.
