City to get 900 AC double-decker e-buses in 9 months

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking in Mumbai is set to replace non-air conditioned double-decker buses with 900 AC double-decker e-buses over the next nine months. The buses will be operated from 12 out of the 27 bus depots and will have automatic entrances, CCTVs, and mobile charging facilities. The non-AC double-decker buses, modeled after London's iconic red buses, will be scrapped, but there are calls to preserve them in the BEST museum.

Mumbai: As curtains close on the era of non-air conditioned (AC) double-decker e-buses today (September 15), the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking will procure 900 AC double-deckers in the next nine months.

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At present, the undertaking has 35 AC double-decker electric buses of which 16 are on the road. Late Thursday evening, BEST stated that they have scrapped the regular double-decker buses that have lived their shelf life and Mumbai will only get AC double-decker buses from now.

According to the BEST undertaking, south Mumbai will see four new AC double-decker e-buses and 15 new will be added to western and eastern suburbs. This is in addition to the already existing 16 AC double-decker e-buses. “The purchase order to supply a total of 200 AC double-decker e-buses has been given to Switch Mobility, of which 35 have already been received and the remaining buses will come by the end of March 2024,” said Vijay Singhal, general manager, BEST Undertaking.

Similarly, Harit Mobility has been given the order to supply 700 AC double-decker e-buses of which 50 buses will be received by December this year. Sources in BEST said from January onwards they will get 100 such buses each month until June 2024 and 50 buses in July next year. The 900 AC double-decker buses will be operated from 12 bus depots out of 27 depots. These buses are environment friendly, have automatic entrances on both sides, and CCTVs have been installed with mobile charging facilities.

The BEST will scrap the non-AC double-decker buses that first started in 1,937 modelled on the lines of London’s iconic red buses. Passengers are demanding that these buses be preserved at the BEST museum. The BEST has a fleet of 2,966 buses currently in operation.