The Times of India             27.08.2013

New Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited fares from tomorrow

PUNE: Bus commuters in the city will now have to pay fares in multiples of five (Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 15 and so on), according to the distance they travel. The new fare structure has been approved by the regional transport authority and the same will come into effect from Wednesday.

Earlier this month, the board of directors of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) - the city public bus transport undertaking, had approved a proposal for revision of the fare structureThe new fare structure has been introduced to reduce the problems being faced by commuters and conductors while exchanging small-changelike Rs 1 and Rs 2.

The PMPML officials said the revised fare structure will also help ensure that more number of tickets are issued.

The PMPML had last revised the fares in March, this year. Officials said the earlier fares were based on stages of distance travelled. However, now the fare structure has been revised to do away with the problems faced by commuters and conductors.

However, PMPML officials maintained that there was no revision in the daily and monthly fares. for students, citizens and senior citizens.

For students commuting from distant places to Pune and the Pimpri Chinchwad, the monthly travel pass will now cost Rs 750.

For special buses and those running during the late hours, an additional fare of Rs 5 will be charged.

Bus commuters' groups have, however, suggested that fares for short distances should be reduced. "The fares should be decided on the basis of the distance travelled in km and not on the basis of stages. Many bus stops in the city are not situated as per the stage distance of 2 km," said Jugal Rathi of the PMP Pravasi Manch.

Rathi said the information about the exact travel distance based on the location of the bus stops should be available in the e-ticket machines so that the tickets are issued according to the distance travelled by a passenger.

"Passengers travelling less than 10 km have to pay high fares because of this problem. The passengers will not be required to pay higher fares if the transport body implements a fare structure based on the distance travelled," Rathi said.