Decision on bringing back 280 wet-lease buses on roads today

BEST officials held an internal meeting on Tuesday to assess the situation and discuss alternatives in case the 280 diesel buses, taken on wet lease from the Hansa group, go off roads permanently

Mumbai: A decision on whether the 280 Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking buses which went off roads two weeks ago would be pressed back into service will be taken on Wednesday. BEST officials held an internal meeting on Tuesday to assess the situation and discuss alternatives in case the 280 diesel buses, taken on wet lease from the Hansa group, go off roads permanently.

Decision on bringing back 280 wet-lease buses on roads today

HT was the first to report, on October 14, that the 280 buses had stopped plying owing to a dispute between BEST and the Hansa group. The latter claims that the BEST Undertaking has withheld payments worth at least ₹90 crore and additional interest worth ₹30 crore. It also says maintenance costs including the cost of manpower and assets have gone up owing to factors like overcrowding, which puts pressure on air-conditioners in buses, making wet leasing unviable.

While the bus operator has asked BEST for an interim payment that can be used to buy diesel and maintain the buses, the undertaking is already mulling over floating a fresh tender to wet lease 280 buses in case the current contract is cancelled. During Tuesday’s meeting, BEST officials collated various documents, letters and correspondence on the issue.

“We are considering various options to address the issue, but we want the operator to start plying the buses first,” said a BEST official. The undertaking has, meanwhile, asked manufacturers contracted for supplying buses to hike their production and advance deadlines for delivery to compensate for a contingency. “A decision on whether to terminate the contract with the Hansa group or not will be taken in a week’s time after the meeting,” said the official quoted earlier.

If the contract with the Hansa group is terminated, BEST is considering wet leasing either CNG or electric buses, as these could work out cheaper than diesel buses, which cost BEST ₹65 per km. The BEST administration has also asked Olectra Greentech, which is contracted to supply electric buses to the undertaking, to deliver 70 new buses each month to compensate for the 280 buses going off road.

Commuters’ groups said BEST must purchase its own buses instead of wet leasing them to address the situation. While the 280 buses are currently parked in the depots of Oshiwara, Dindoshi and Marol, the waiting period for commuters at bus stops has gone up to 30-40 minutes.

“BEST must urgently purchase 3,000 new buses with funds from the municipal corporation and run them with its own staff. It should also absorb the staff of wet lease contractors,” said a member of Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST.