Passengers line up to board a bus at Pune’s Swargate depot.
Pune: It was supposed to be a routine trip to Mumbai for Rasta Peth resident Rahul Jairam Khote, but on Saturday he had to wait for over 90 minutes to find a bus out of Swargate station, as crowds swelled for Ganeshotsav. MSRTC officials said Swargate alone is expected to handle 1.5 lakh people through Saturday and Sunday, much higher than the depot’s usual weekend footfall of 50,000-60,000.
I didn’t anticipate such a crowd,” Khote said. Another passenger at Swargate, Arjun Kulve, told TOI he and his wife had to wait for over an hour for a seat to Satara. We’re going home after two years,” Kulve, a Navipeth resident, said. Many passengers said they were also worried about schedules. “I don’t want to miss my bus,” said Santosh Moghe, who is due to travel to Kolhapur. My family is waiting for me at home,” Moghe said.
“I never had to book a seat in advance, but I should’ve done so this time. Bus stations across the city were braced for the festival rush. That’s not the case now. But we’re excited about our trip. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Pune | Silver Rate in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Petrol Price in Pune | Diesel Price in Pune | CNG Price in Pune | LPG Price in Pune
“Earlier, one could just buy tickets from the bus conductors. “I called my bus operator three times on Saturday to confirm the schedule.