Pune: The Regional Transport Office (RTO), in coordination with the city traffic police and other stakeholders, is in the process of identifying designated spots where private luxury buses can pick up and drop off passengers.Additionally, spaces for designated bus stops or parking lots are also being sought, senior Pune RTO officials told TOI on Monday.Pune deputy RTO Swapnil Bhosle told TOI, “Discussions are ongoing with the city police on this issue, and we have had meetings with bus associations, too. We hope that some pick-up and drop-off points will be identified soon. Until this happens, private buses that stop at certain locations will not be fined for wrong parking. RTO inspectors will check their documents, and if they are found to be incomplete, fines will be levied. However, there will not be any parking-related fines. Having said this, private bus operators should know the right way to park their vehicles so that they don’t pose a threat.”Recently, private bus operators were up in arms and threatened an indefinite strike citing several issues, including “illegal” fines and the lack of designated pick-up points.Additional commissioner of police (east) Manoj Patil said that if private buses wish to halt for more than three minutes, only off-street parking is allowed. “They cannot park on roadsides and must move away if halting for a longer time. As far as parking spaces are concerned, operators have been given some lots. These include the plot near the Vivekananda statue on Pune-Satara Road, at Shewalewadi on Pune-Solapur Road, and at Wageshwar in Kharadi. They also have their own space in Sangamwadi,” he told TOI.Patil added, “For designated pick-up spots, discussions are ongoing with Pune RTO and bus owners. Private buses have been banned from operating on certain roads, and these regulations are the same with Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. (MSRTC) buses as well. These rules must be followed.”There are over 700 private luxury buses operating to and from Pune on any given day. Balasaheb Khedekar, president of the Pune Luxury Bus Association, told TOI that tall promises have been made to them by the authorities for a long time. “In the late ’90s, Bombay high court had asked the authorities to provide us with designated parking spaces and pick-up points. However, nothing has been done so far. We have rented some places for parking our buses, such as in Sangamwadi and near Laxminarayan Theatre in Swargate. But the lack of official pick-up points is a major problem. Despite communicating with different departments and officials repeatedly, no concrete steps have been taken. If space isn’t available, state govt should give us spots at MSRTC bus depots at least,” he said.Commuters agreed that proper pick-up spots are a necessity. “In the private bus halting spot in Sangamwadi, it is chaotic all the time. The lot is not maintained or managed properly. Conditions worsen during the monsoon. There is also one pick-up spot near Sohrab Hall off Tadiwala Road — but the road is very busy, and it is scary to catch a bus here at times,” said working professional Vignesh Mohan, who travels to Bengaluru often on private buses.He added, “State govt should plan a system and provide some space to private buses at MSRTC facilities with proper monitoring.”(With inputs from Asseem Shaikh) Pune: The Regional Transport Office (RTO), in coordination with the city traffic police and other stakeholders, is in the process of identifying designated spots where private luxury buses can pick up and drop off passengers.Additionally, spaces for designated bus stops or parking lots are also being sought, senior Pune RTO officials told TOI on Monday.Pune deputy RTO Swapnil Bhosle told TOI, “Discussions are ongoing with the city police on this issue, and we have had meetings with bus associations, too. We hope that some pick-up and drop-off points will be identified soon. Until this happens, private buses that stop at certain locations will not be fined for wrong parking. RTO inspectors will check their documents, and if they are found to be incomplete, fines will be levied. However, there will not be any parking-related fines. Having said this, private bus operators should know the right way to park their vehicles so that they don’t pose a threat.”Recently, private bus operators were up in arms and threatened an indefinite strike citing several issues, including “illegal” fines and the lack of designated pick-up points.Additional commissioner of police (east) Manoj Patil said that if private buses wish to halt for more than three minutes, only off-street parking is allowed. “They cannot park on roadsides and must move away if halting for a longer time. As far as parking spaces are concerned, operators have been given some lots. These include the plot near the Vivekananda statue on Pune-Satara Road, at Shewalewadi on Pune-Solapur Road, and at Wageshwar in Kharadi. They also have their own space in Sangamwadi,” he told TOI.Patil added, “For designated pick-up spots, discussions are ongoing with Pune RTO and bus owners. Private buses have been banned from operating on certain roads, and these regulations are the same with Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. (MSRTC) buses as well. These rules must be followed.”There are over 700 private luxury buses operating to and from Pune on any given day. Balasaheb Khedekar, president of the Pune Luxury Bus Association, told TOI that tall promises have been made to them by the authorities for a long time. “In the late ’90s, Bombay high court had asked the authorities to provide us with designated parking spaces and pick-up points. However, nothing has been done so far. We have rented some places for parking our buses, such as in Sangamwadi and near Laxminarayan Theatre in Swargate. But the lack of official pick-up points is a major problem. Despite communicating with different departments and officials repeatedly, no concrete steps have been taken. If space isn’t available, state govt should give us spots at MSRTC bus depots at least,” he said.Commuters agreed that proper pick-up spots are a necessity. “In the private bus halting spot in Sangamwadi, it is chaotic all the time. The lot is not maintained or managed properly. Conditions worsen during the monsoon. There is also one pick-up spot near Sohrab Hall off Tadiwala Road — but the road is very busy, and it is scary to catch a bus here at times,” said working professional Vignesh Mohan, who travels to Bengaluru often on private buses.He added, “State govt should plan a system and provide some space to private buses at MSRTC facilities with proper monitoring.”(With inputs from Asseem Shaikh)
