With Mumbai locals open to all, BEST buses see drop in riders

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has witnessed a dip of over 100,000 passengers in a week after local train services resumed on February 1.

As local train services have resumed in the city, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has witnessed a decline in the number of passengers. The organisation has witnessed a dip of over 100,000 passengers in a week after local train services resumed on February 1.

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Under Mission Begin Again, the Maharashtra government resumed bus services for citizens on June 8, 2020. On an average, 2.8 million passengers travelled everyday by BEST buses.

However, with local train services resuming for general public from February 1, more than 2 million passengers are commuting by local train service on Central Railway and 1.3 million on Western Railway daily. Passengers are allowed to travel in restricted timings; from the first local train service till 7am, between 12 pm and 4pm, and after 9pm till last service.

As per data available with BEST management, the government undertaking saw a dip of 124,000 passengers between January 29 and February 5. On January 29, BEST operated 4,301 buses and had 2.6 million passengers. On February 5, it ran 4,138 buses with 2.5 million passengers.

The organisation has stated that they have moved their focus on feeder routes and short routes connecting to railway stations.

“There has been a decrease in the number of passengers. There has been a decrease of 10,000 to 30,000 passengers throughout the week. We are operating buses more on feeder routes and short distance routes as compared to earlier.” said a senior BEST official.