Pune: Commuters Demand Dismantling of BRTS Bus Stops to Ease Traffic Flow

Despite the scrapping of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on the Yerawada to Viman Nagar Chowk stretch, the bus stops are still there, causing frustration among commuters. The retention of these bus stops, even after the BRTS was dismantled, has led to demands for their removal as they obstruct traffic flow.

A resident of Ramwadi expressed his concerns, stating, “What is the use of keeping the bus stops on the road, especially in the middle, after dismantling the BRTS? These large steel structures in the middle of the road disturb the flow of traffic. The PMC should remove them to clear the obstacles on the Nagar Road highway.”

Another regular Nagar Road commuter added, “The BRTS bus stops are only used for advertisements now. There are three bus stops, namely near Gunjan Chowk, Shastri Nagar Chowk, and Ramwadi police station. Each bus stop has two advertisement boards. The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) is earning revenue from these advertisements.”

Sharad Dharav, executive engineer of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) road department, explained, “Without PMPML permission, we cannot remove the bus shelters. So, we have decided to put up our demand to dismantle the bus stops in the joint meeting between the PMPML and PMC.”

A senior PMPML official commented, “We operate the BRTS, and the PMC builds the infrastructure as we request. The PMC has already dismantled the Yerawada to Viman Nagar Chowk BRTS stretch. It is up to the PMC to decide whether to remove the bus stops since they are PMC property. The PMC had appointed the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics to conduct the study and based on the institute’s recommendations, the PMC dismantled the BRTS stretch on Nagar Road.”

In December 2023, the PMC removed about 3.5 km of the BRTS on the Ahmednagar-Pune highway from Yerawada to Viman Nagar Chowk (Phoenix Mall) to ease traffic problems. The BRTS on this stretch was not operating due to the Pune Metro work, and under pressure from local residents and politicians, the PMC appointed the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics to carry out a scientific study before making any decisions. Based on the institute’s recommendations, the BRTS was scrapped but the bus stops were retained.