Eco-friendly buses start running in south Mumbai, finally

One BEST official said buses were not run on weekend owing to a technical glitch, another said services were stopped as there were few commuters.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) pressed into service three of its four battery-operated electric buses from Monday morning.

The authority obtained six electric buses, each costing around Rs1.63 crore, from the Rs10-crore fund given by the civic body. (HT FILE)

The buses were run on the special-2 route between CSMT and World Trade Centre, special- 9 between Churchgate station and NCPA; and route 138 between CSMT and Backbay Depot.

BEST spokesperson Hanumant Gophane said the fourth bus is under maintenance and may be used for staff training.

The authority obtained six electric buses, each costing around Rs1.63 crore, from the Rs10-crore fund given by the civic body. While it got four buses on Saturday, the other two will be included in the fleet by the end of the year.

BEST plans to operate these eco-friendly buses on seven routes in south Mumbai, between CSMT, Churchgate and Nariman Point.

Sources said passengers were excited about the new buses that gave them a smokeless and noiseless ride.

Gophane said the buses could not be launched over the weekend owing to a technical glitch involving display boards. Anil Kokil, chairman of BEST panel, however, said they had brought buses on road on Saturday morning, but stopped the services as the number of passengers was low.