The PUNE Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has said that once 887 buses are inducted into the service, 319 old buses will be driven out of service, out of which 36 are 16-20 years old.

On Wednesday, five new buses including one purchased under JNNURM, and four taken on lease, were inducted into PMPML service. Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad will receive as many as 887 buses, of which 650 are being purchased under JNNURM. Pune will get 500 buses and Pimpri-Chinchwad 150. The PMPML has said that once these many buses are added to the present fleet, there is a plan to scrap 319 buses.

Out of these 36 buses are between the age of 16 years and 20 years, 183 buses would be 11 years to 15 years. The agreement of lease for 100 buses is coming to an end in October 2009, which will be scrapped as well. Presently, PMPML has 1,441 buses in its fleet including 267 buses taken on lease.

Once the new buses are added, the fleet will go up to 2,328 buses. At the induction function of the five buses on Wednesday, a cheque of Rs 20 crore, an amount Pune Municipal Corporation owed to PMPML in the form of employees’ outstanding allowances, was also handed over to Nitin Khade, MD of PMPML.

District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar could not make it to the function.

However, local MLA Kamal Dhole-Patil, Pune Mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale, Pimpri-Chinchwad Mayor Aparna Doke, PMPML chairman Ait Apte, NCP corporator Anil Bhosale and Nilesh Nikam were present.