Pune to Shirdi taxi

Sai devotees in Pune make the trip to Shirdi for many reasons: a Thursday visit, a vow fulfilled, a family function, or simply a need to sit quietly in the Samadhi Mandir for a while. A Pune to Shirdi taxi lets you leave from your own gate at the hour that suits the aarti you want, carry elders and children in comfort, and come home the same night without juggling bus timings. RutzIndia.com prices every trip on the kilometres at a published rate, sends a chauffeur who knows both routes, and uses cars no older than four model years.

How much is a Pune to Shirdi taxi in 2026?

Pune and Shirdi are both in Maharashtra, so there is no interstate permit, only highway tolls and parking, both billed at the receipt amount. A round trip is billed on the higher of actual kilometres or 250 km for every calendar day, so an overnight stay in Shirdi takes the billable distance to 500 km.

Overnight trips carry a driver night allowance of Rs 1,500. If you add Shani Shingnapur or an Ashtavinayak temple, the extra kilometres are billed at the same rate; the fare calculator will give you the total before you book.

Book a Pune to Shirdi taxi

Two routes out of Pune

Via Ranjangaon and Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar)

The route most drivers prefer heads east through Wagholi and Shikrapur, past Ranjangaon, where the Mahaganapati temple is one of the eight Ashtavinayak shrines, then through Shirur and Supa to Ahilyanagar, still widely called Ahmednagar. From there the road runs north through Rahuri and Rahata to Shirdi. It is well suited to anyone starting in East Pune, Kharadi, Viman Nagar or Wagholi, and it is the natural way to include Shani Shingnapur, which lies east of the Rahuri stretch.

Via Narayangaon and Sangamner

The other route leaves north on the Pune-Nashik highway through Chakan, Rajgurunagar and Narayangaon, then turns east at Sangamner for Loni and Shirdi. It suits pickups in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Bhosari, Moshi and Chakan, and passes near the Lenyadri and Ozar Ashtavinayak temples for devotees completing that circuit. Weekday truck traffic around Chakan's industrial belt is the main delay, so an early start helps.

Both routes take four to four and a half hours in normal traffic. Tolls on either road are passed on at actual.

Darshan and aarti timings at the Samadhi Mandir

The Shree Saibaba Sansthan Trust publishes its daily programme on its official website. According to that schedule, the temple opens at 4:45 am, the Kakad (morning) Aarti is at 5:15 am, and general darshan in the Samadhi Mandir begins a little after 6 am once the morning bath and aarti are complete. The Madhyan (mid-day) Aarti is at 12 noon, the Dhoop Aarti is held at sunset, devotional music follows in the evening, and the Shej (night) Aarti is at 10 pm.

That timetable shapes your taxi plan:

• For Kakad Aarti, leave Pune by about midnight or stay overnight in Shirdi. Most families choose the overnight option.
• For a same-day darshan trip, leave Pune at 5 or 6 am, reach Shirdi by about 10, have darshan, attend the noon aarti if passes allow, have lunch and start back by 2 pm, reaching Pune in the early evening.
• For Dhoop or Shej Aarti, leave after lunch, attend the evening, and either drive back late at night or stay over.

Aarti and darshan passes, both free and paid, are issued through the Trust's official online booking portal. The Trust itself warns that only its own websites are authorised for darshan, aarti and room bookings, and that it has found fake listings and agents online, so book passes and Trust accommodation only there. Thursdays, weekends and holidays are the busiest days; weekday mornings are calmer.

Around Shirdi: Dwarkamai, Chavadi and Shani Shingnapur

Inside the temple complex and just outside it are the places closely linked with Sai Baba's life: Dwarkamai, the mosque where he lived; the Chavadi, where he slept on alternate nights; Gurusthan under the neem tree; and Lendi Baug, the garden he tended. All are within walking distance of the main gates, so your car waits at the parking area while you visit on foot. Maharashtra Tourism's Shirdi destination page gives an overview of these sites.

Many devotees also go to Shani Shingnapur, the village famous for its open-air Shani shrine and its houses without doors, about 70 km from Shirdi. On the Ahmednagar route it fits neatly on the way up or back, adding roughly two hours. Combining Shirdi, Shani Shingnapur and Ranjangaon in one long day is possible, but an overnight trip is kinder to elders.

Pickup areas in Pune and drops in Shirdi

We pick up from every part of Pune: Hinjewadi, Wakad, Baner and Aundh in the west; Kothrud, Karve Nagar and Sinhagad Road in the south-west; Koregaon Park, Kalyani Nagar, Viman Nagar and Kharadi in the east; Hadapsar and Magarpatta; Camp and Swargate; Pune railway station; and Pimpri-Chinchwad. For Pune airport pickups at Lohegaon we track the flight, wait with a name board, and allow 60 minutes of free waiting after international arrivals and 30 minutes after domestic ones, then bill at the hourly rate on your booking.

In Shirdi we drop at the temple-area car parks, at hotels on the Nagar-Manmad road and around the Sai complex, at the Sansthan's own accommodation, at Sainagar Shirdi railway station, or at Shirdi airport.

Late returns after Shej Aarti

Some devotees want to attend the 10 pm Shej Aarti and be back in Pune by early morning, especially before a working day. It can be done, and our chauffeurs are used to it, but a few habits make it safer and more pleasant. The driver rests during the evening while you are in the temple, rather than waiting in a queue of cars. Tea stops at Rahuri or Sangamner keep everyone alert. On the Sangamner route, the stretch around Alephata is quiet late at night, so we prefer the Ahmednagar road for night returns unless you are heading to Pimpri-Chinchwad. Expect to reach Pune between 2.30 and 3.30 am.

Remember that a return which runs past midnight crosses into a second calendar day, so confirm with the desk how your trip will be billed when you book. If you would rather sleep in Shirdi and drive back after breakfast, the overnight fare above applies, and everyone arrives home rested.

What is and is not included in the fare

• Included: the car, fuel, the chauffeur's wages, air conditioning throughout, and waiting at Shirdi during darshan on a round trip.
• At actual cost: highway tolls, parking at the temple lots and Shani Shingnapur, and any municipal entry charge.
• On overnight trips: a driver night allowance of Rs 1,500.
• Separately: 5% GST, shown on your invoice.

We do not charge extra for stops that fall on the way, such as Ranjangaon or a meal break. A detour that adds distance is billed at the per-km rate of your car class, nothing more.

For daily use at home, including airport runs and office travel, see our car rental with driver in Pune, which works on the same transparent terms.

Pune to Shirdi routes compared: distance, time and tolls

Fares on this page use the standard distance of about 185 km. Depending on where in Pune you start and which road you take, the odometer can read somewhat more; the booker shows the exact kilometres before you pay. Toll receipts are passed on at actual.

Taxi, MSRTC bus, train, flight or self-drive?

The Sansthan's own how to reach Shirdi page lists many daily state transport departures from Pune via Ahmednagar, and Shirdi also has a railway station and an airport. How do they compare with a private car?

Shirdi Airport is useful for devotees flying in from farther away; from Pune, the road is simply more direct. The taxi is the natural choice for a same-day trip, because you control the departure time around the aarti schedule and the car waits while you queue.

Pickup variants across Pune

Shirdi and around: add-on visits

The Ranjangaon Ganpati temple is one of the eight Ashtavinayak shrines and an easy halt on the east route. If your party is flying out of Mumbai after darshan, you can book a Shirdi drop and a Mumbai taxi service car separately, or return home with a Pune to Mumbai taxi later in the week. Executives who want a more comfortable car can pick an E-Class from our luxury car rental in Pune range, and six-seat families usually take an Innova Crysta on rent. One-direction drops are priced as a one way taxi, and overnight trips under our outstation cabs rules.

Groups, families and the right vehicle

A sedan suits two to four people with light bags. Families with grandparents usually choose an Innova Crysta for its high seats and comfortable ride on a long day. Housing societies, office groups and bhajan mandals book a Tempo Traveller in Pune or a Force Urbania, which is quieter and smoother for night returns; see Urbania on rent for seating layouts. Corporate groups can ask for a GST invoice, and everyone can pay by card or UPI through the booker.

Seasons, festivals and the rules we follow

Shirdi is busiest on Ram Navami in spring, Guru Purnima in July, and Vijayadashami in October, which marks Sai Baba's Punyatithi, as well as over Diwali and the New Year. Expect crowds, traffic control near the temple and longer queues on those days. The monsoon from June to September brings heavy rain across the Deccan plateau, which mostly slows traffic rather than closing roads. Winter mornings are cool and clear.

Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% within 72 hours, 50% within 48 hours and 100% within 24 hours or for a no-show, as set out in our cancellation policy. Travelling from Mumbai instead? See the Mumbai to Shirdi taxi, and for a Nashik-Trimbakeshwar extension see the Mumbai to Nashik taxi page. Temple circuits elsewhere in India are covered on our pilgrimage taxi page.