Luxury Bus Operators Warn Of Indefinite Strike From April 10 In Pune Over Pick-Up BanÂ
Luxury Bus Operators Warn Of Indefinite Strike From April 10 In Pune Over Pick-Up BanÂ
Pune, April 7, 2025: The Pune District Luxury Bus Association has announced an indefinite sit-in protest starting April 10, 2025, if the ongoing ban on pick-up points for private travels and luxury buses in the city is not lifted. The announcement was made during a press conference held at the Pune Union of Working Journalists auditorium on Monday afternoon.
Despite a government resolution (GR) that mandates the provision of designated pick-up and parking facilities for private travel buses in Pune and its surrounding areas, the city has yet to allocate official pick-up points for these operators. The association has raised concerns over continued action by traffic police against luxury buses in the absence of designated stops, calling it arbitrary and unfair.
The protest will take place outside the offices of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), the Regional Transport Office (RTO), and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Association President Balasaheb Khedekar, along with other office bearers including Shyam Shetty, Basit Siddiqui, Ravindra More, Anand Lohe, and Maruti Nagine, addressed the media regarding their demands.
The association submitted a memorandum to the PMC Commissioner on April 3, 2025, seeking urgent arrangements for bus stands, parking zones, and a halt to penal action by traffic police. They emphasized that Pune, being a Smart City, must ensure parking and terminal facilities for intercity travel buses, which serve as a crucial public transport option.
Citing Section 117 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the association pointed out that it is mandatory for the traffic department to designate pick-up and parking points for travel operators. However, no such official points currently exist. They also alleged that unfair restrictions remain in place, including a ban on bus movement from Sangamwadi through Gunjan Chowk in Yerawada.
Notices have also been sent to travel operators in Pimpri, Chinchwad, Kalewadi, Sangvi, Kothrud, Warje, Yerawada, Kharadi Bypass, and Wagholi, ordering them to shut down offices and pick-up points, further aggravating the situation.
The association recalled that in 1999, private travel buses were barred from entering the city, prompting them to approach the High Court. The PMC had then assured the court that it would provide central and peripheral pick-up points around the city. However, no such facilities were developed. Despite multiple directives from the state’s Transport and Urban Development Departments, municipal bodies failed to implement them.
Information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act also suggests that except for a few areas like Maldhakka Chowk, Ambedkar Chowk, Tilak Road, and Shivaji Road, there is no blanket ban on private luxury buses in Pune. The association argued that both ST (State Transport) and private buses fall under the same rules, and continued action only against private buses is unjustified and should be immediately halted.
