Maharashtra bandh: BEST suffers loss; only 573,272 passengers take bus on Monday

BEST on an average daily earns nearly ₹2 crore from passenger earnings. On Monday, day of the Maharashtra bandh, the organisation earned nearly ₹29 lakh

As the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), alliance of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, called for a statewide bandh over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence on Monday, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) reported a loss of nearly ₹1.71 crore.

Nearly 2.5 million passengers travel by BEST buses every day, however, on Monday only 573,272 passengers travelled by the BEST buses. (HT Photo)

Nearly 2.5 million passengers travel by BEST buses every day, however, on Monday only 573,272 passengers travelled by the BEST buses.

The BEST on an average daily earns nearly ₹2 crore from passenger earnings. On Monday, the organisation earned nearly ₹29 lakhs.

Buses operating in the city also had limited operations. Of the 3,333 buses with BEST, only 1,849 buses were operated on Monday.

During the bandh, 11 buses were vandalised. The BEST administration had sought police protection for the operation of bus services in the city.

“We are yet to determine the monetary loss on the damage of the buses on Monday,” said a senior BEST official.

Apart from the BEST bus shutdown, autorickshaw and taxi services were also impacted in the city on Monday.

Autorickshaws and taxi drivers that did ferry passengers reportedly charged a double fare to ferry passengers in the city.

Local train and metro services functioned normally without any disruptions on Monday.

“Demonstrations have been carried out by the protesters at Thane, Mulund and Vikhroli railway stations. Officers @grpmumbai counselled them not to enter the station premises or inconvenience commuters. They have moved to city are thereafter. @DGPMaharashtra” tweeted commissioner of police railways Quaisar Khalid.