The webinar brought together urban transport practitioners, consultants, researchers, and citizens to examine how data from the city’s bus network can be read, interpreted, and used to push for improvements.A webinar organised by Parisar, the Pune-based urban mobility NGO, highlighted the operational challenges faced by the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), using publicly available monthly data from PMPML to analyse the performance of the city’s bus transport system.The webinar held on April 10, titled ‘Analysing Public Transport Data: PMPML Dashboard Demonstration,’ brought together urban transport practitioners, consultants, researchers, and citizens to examine how data from the city’s bus network can be read, interpreted, and used to push for improvements.“PMPML is one of the very few bus transport organisations that regularly publishes its data, but there is hardly any analysis of the same,” said Shweta Vernekar, Senior Programme Associate with Parisar. “So we collaborated with DOMO, a cloud-native Business Intelligence and data integration platform, which allowed us to analyse it and give graphical representations that can be easily understood and help to act upon the gaps.”At the centre of the discussion was the PMPML Dashboard, a publicly accessible platform that compiles monthly data on ridership, revenue, fleet performance, service delivery, and operational indicators.A fleet that isn’t growingAs per the data analysis, the total number of buses in PMPML’s fleet remained largely stagnant through 2025, hovering between approximately 1,900 and 2,050 buses. More worryingly, the composition of the fleet has shifted: owned buses have declined significantly, while hired buses now account for a larger share. This growing dependence on hired buses raises questions about long-term cost sustainability and service quality.Even as the fleet size remained flat, the number of operational routes climbed steadily – from 379 at the start of 2025 to 408 by December. While network expansion is welcome, stretching the same number of buses across more routes risks thinning out frequencies, leaving commuters waiting longer at stops.Only around 88 per cent of planned service kilometres were actually operated during 2025, a marginal improvement over the previous year, but still short of the mark. The persistent gap between what is planned and what is delivered directly affects the reliability of the network, and by extension, the confidence of the daily commuter.Story continues below this adFalling ridershipPerhaps the most telling indicator is ridership. PMPML lost approximately one lakh trips per month in 2025 compared to the same months in 2024 – a decline that continued even after fare revisions were introduced. The average number of passengers per bus per day also dropped over the year, falling from 743 in January to 605 by December. Analysts point to a possible mismatch between ticket pricing and the quality of service on offer, raising the risk of more commuters switching to other modes of transport.Far below the national benchmarkThe most stark finding is one of scale. Pune currently has approximately 22 buses per lakh population, a fraction of the 60 buses per lakh considered the minimum benchmark for an efficient public transport system. This structural shortfall, the webinar noted, fundamentally limits PMPML’s ability to offer adequate coverage and frequency to the city’s growing population.Ashfak Shaikh, Director and Country Head of DOMO India, who also addressed the webinar, described the platform’s role in making this kind of analysis accessible. He said the goal was to turn complex data into actionable insights.Vernekar underscored the broader purpose of the exercise: “Data which can be used for action is the most powerful, and the dashboard allows this for multiple stakeholders at once – journalists, advocacy groups, citizen groups, researchers, and students.”Shubham Kurale is a journalist based in Pune and has studied journalism at the Ranade Institute. He primarily reports on transport and is interested in covering civic issues, sports, gig workers, environmental issues, and queer issues. X:@ShubhamKurale1 ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:pune