Pune Metro has announced a temporary suspension of services after 6 pm on Friday, November 1. The suspension is being done to observe Lakshmi Puja. Regular operations will resume on Saturday morning. Officials have advised passengers to plan their travel accordingly, stating that services will only be available from 6 am to 6 pm on Friday.
The announcement was made on social media platform X, where Pune Metro posted, “Please pay attention!! Important Notice for Pune Metro Passengers. Pune Metro service will be available from 6 am to 6 pm on Friday, November 1, 2024, on the occasion of Lakshmi Puja.”
However, the decision has sparked criticism from commuters and the public. Many passengers voiced concerns online, pointing out the inconvenience caused by the suspension during a busy festival evening.
A user, Anand Bellad commented, “What a waste of public service…how can a public transport system halt like this…unless it’s an emergency shutdown.” Another user, Mayuresh, suggested reducing the service frequency instead of halting it altogether. “Discouraging step. Metro should be available. They could have decreased the frequency to 30 mins if they didn’t expect many passengers. 20,000+ crores of public money is invested in the metro…Metro officials should understand the numbers first,” he wrote.
Members of local passenger groups also expressed discontent, with Raju Duttarao Pawar from the Pune Pravasi Group stating that public services should not stop, especially on a festive evening.
Responding to the feedback, Pune Metro official Hemant Sonawane explained that the decision was based on expected low ridership during the festival night. “It wouldn’t be fair to have the drivers working for such low ridership,” he noted.
Regular service hours will resume on Saturday, November 2, from 6 am to 10 pm.