Pune: Fake Aapli PMPML App Passes Cost Transport Body Lakh, Daily Pass Sales Drop By Over 10 Lakh

Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) launched the Aapli PMPML mobile app to simplify bus travel by enabling passengers to buy tickets and daily passes without waiting in lines. However, the app's integrity has been compromised, leading to significant revenue losses as thousands of commuters allegedly use fake daily passes.

The issue stems from ticketing machines failing to detect tampered passes, allowing passengers to use manipulated versions of the app to create fraudulent daily passes. The transport body's daily revenue has dropped by 10% to 15% due to this alleged misuse.

The scandal erupted when nearly 4,000 counterfeit versions of the Aapli PMPML app were downloaded from a website called Socktonic, and other websites are also distributing fake applications. College students are allegedly sharing Android application package (APK) files among themselves and using modified apps to generate counterfeit daily passes.

The number of daily passes issued by PMPML fell from 56,70,276 between August 15, 2024, and July 31, 2025, to 46,55,056 between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026, a loss of 10,15,220 daily passes.

This decline is troubling, especially as digital transactions and mobile-based ticketing services gain traction. Officials suspect that the availability of counterfeit passes has encouraged students and other commuters to avoid legitimate ticket purchases, impacting both pass sales and the transport body's revenue. The problem became apparent on September 1 when a student suspected of using a counterfeit daily pass was taken to PMPML's head office for verification.

An examination of the QR code on the pass revealed it was fake, bringing the issue of manipulated applications and fraudulent passes to light. This incident has raised questions about the app's security and the effectiveness of the existing ticketing system in identifying fraudulent passes during routine checks.