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According to the Regional Transport Office (RTO), the last decade has seen the number of vehicles in the city growing by no less than 10 lakh. Out of this, the number of two-wheelers added onto the city roads alone accounts for a whopping 7.5 lakh.
The total vehicular population of the city by the end of March 2010, has been pegged at 19 lakh, out of which, the number of two-wheelers is 14.14 lakh. In 2001, the total number of vehicles in the city registered by the RTO was 9 lakh, while the number of two-wheelers in 2001 was 6.65 lakh.
“The growth in vehicles has been tremendous over the last decade, which has led to a number of traffic and transportation problems in the city. However, since the public transport system is not up to the mark, people prefer buying their own vehicles, preferably two-wheelers,” said RTO Chandrakant Kharatmal.
The number of cars registered in Pune in 2001 was 74,957. This has now grown to 2.47 lakh. Apart from cars, there is a separate category — jeeps —- which has grown to 39,971 from 26,544 during the last decade.
The number of autorickshaws went up by over 10,000 over the last decade. While in 2001, the number was 51,798 it is now 61,916.
“Rising demand for taxi cabs from the industrial sector like the IT companies and call centres, among others, has automatically increased the number of cabs on the city roads. While 10 years ago the number was below 4,000, it is now over 14,000. The mushrooming of scores of new schools has automatically led to a rise in the demand of school buses. From 64 in 2001, the school buses operating within the city is over 450 now,” Kharatmal said.
In addition to the private and passenger vehicles, those performing certain functions like carrying patients, transporting construction material have also seen an upward growth. While the number of ambulances in the city was 677 in 2001, it has now become 1,088. The number of trucks and lorries has gone up by 9,153 in the last 10 years (from 22,016 to 31169).
The scarcity of water in certain parts of the city has also led to rise in the number of water tankers - from 2,654 in 2001 to 4,013 in 2010.
The number of population in the Pune region, which includes, apart from the Pune city, the Pimpri-Chinchwad, Baramati, Solapur and Akluj, has been put at 31.97 lakh.
