Mumbai gets five mini AC buses

In future, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses will be operated mostly on feeder routes — shorter routes that serve as last-mile connectivity

In future, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses will be operated mostly on feeder routes — shorter routes that serve as last-mile connectivity — in the city.

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Only those routes that do not have Metro connectivity will have BEST buses.

On Monday, Brihamumbai municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi said while handing over the city’s first batch of five air-conditioned (AC) mini buses.

“BEST buses will be operated only on feeder routes. Buses will ply on long routes if they do not have Metro or public transport connectivity. There are 33 lakh passengers travelling by BEST buses and we are aiming to make it 60 lakh, in sync with the local trains,” said Pardeshi at the function.

The five mini AC buses are likely to be introduced on feeder routes in South Mumbai. The administration will begin the operation after registration of buses.

The buses have been introduced on wet lease model and have a seating capacity of 21 and standing capacity of seven.

In the next phase, 395 new mini and midi buses will be inducted into the fleet.

The organisation will also acquire 3,000 mini and midi AC buses that will be introduced on wet lease model.

The BEST committee on Friday approved the proposal of acquiring 500 mini AC buses on wet lease for a period of eight years.

Pardeshi said the decision to impose hefty fines for illegal parking has led to an increase in the average bus speed by up to 10%.

“The average speed of buses has increased and we are aiming to increase it to 20%. We will then introduce dedicated bus lanes,” added Pardeshi.

BEST has also starting taking steps to rectify the problems in its newly launched mobile application, BEST Pravas.

This was after Hindustan Times reported the problems faced by passengers using the app. The civic chief directed the BEST administration to upgrade the application and make it user-friendly.

Pardeshi along with BEST general manager Surendrakumar Bagde visited the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) bus depot on Monday to get a first-hand account of the problems of those using the app. The estimated arrival time of buses was not accurate in the app.

“The application will be upgraded and all the teething problems will be fixed in the next few months,” said Pardeshi.

The information about the mobile application will be put up at bus stops to popularise the app.