Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) will operate two ₹500 Navratri temple tour circuits using air-conditioned electric buses, connecting devotees to 10 shrines in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and nearby areas.
The services will run under PMPML’s Tourism Bus Service No. 13. Buses will depart from Pune Station at 8.30 am, travel through Swargate and return to Pune Station at 7 pm. The fare is ₹500 per passenger for either circuit.
The first route covers five temples outside the core city area: Taljai Mata Temple at Taljai, Padmavati Temple, Tukai Mata Temple at Kondhanpur, Shrinath Mhaskoba-Jogeshwari Mata Temple at Kodit in Purandar taluka, and Yamai Mata Temple at Shivari, also in Purandar taluka.
The second circuit focuses on temples in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Its stops include Mahalaxmi Temple at Sarasbaug, Tambdi Jogeshwari Temple in Budhwar Peth, Chatushrungi Mata Temple on Senapati Bapat Road, Vaishnavi Mata Temple in Pimpri Camp and Bhavani Mata Temple in Bhavani Peth.
The service gives passengers a single transport option for visiting multiple shrines instead of arranging separate trips across the Pune metropolitan area. The use of AC electric buses also places the service within PMPML’s expanding tourism and electric mobility network.
PMPML currently operates 13 tourism bus services covering religious and tourist destinations. These buses generally run on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, while services on other days depend on passenger demand. The undertaking said its tourism services have received a positive response, particularly on weekends.
According to PMPML, demand is stronger on weekends because employees of offices, educational institutions, industrial units and information technology companies often have weekly holidays. The Navratri circuits are intended to serve devotees seeking organised access to temples during the festival period.
Passengers can buy tickets at PMPML pass centres at Deccan Gymkhana, Pune Station, Swargate, Katraj, Hadapsar Gadital, Pune Municipal Corporation headquarters, Bhosari Bus Stand and Nigdi.
PMPML has also expanded the destinations covered by two other tourism services following requests from travellers and devotees. Tourism Bus Service No. 5 will now include Dhayreshwar Temple in Dhayari village and the Jadhav Wada historical museum in Nanded village. Service No. 12 has added Shri Kshetra Pandeshwar, a Shiva temple on Pandeshwar-Nazare Road.
The additional destinations and Navratri circuits show how PMPML is using its tourism services to connect religious and heritage sites that are spread across Pune and neighbouring areas. The undertaking’s next operational step is to run the announced circuits from Pune Station according to the stated departure and return schedule, subject to passenger demand.
