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Time of India
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
BEST Earnings Go Up by a Crore Daily; Ridership Drops to 25 Lakh
Mumbai: The BEST announced on Monday that with a hike in BEST bus fares since May 9, the daily ticket earnings rose by a crore rupees—from Rs 2.25 crore to Rs 3.25 crore—but the ridership dropped to 25 lakh. In fact, the ridership fell drastically from 32 lakh prior to the fare hike in May to 25 lakh in August, sources said. Apart from ridership, the fleet of buses also dipped significantly, and this has gone below the pre-Covid level—from 3,500 buses in 2019 to 2,680 buses at present. Volunteers from the citizens' group Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST said that the migration of bus commuters to share autos and share taxis was a primary cause of the drop in ridership over the past three months. The minimum bus fare was hiked from Rs 5 to Rs 10, while the minimum AC fare was increased from Rs 6 to Rs 12 in May. In comparison, the minimum share auto fare is Rs 10. "Several commuters, frustrated after waiting for buses for 40 minutes, do not mind switching to share autos at the same price from the railway station," said an AMAB volunteer. Similarly, the delay in the delivery of new electric AC buses on wet lease led to a drop in fleet size. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Victoria Principal Is Almost 75, See Her Now Reportingly Undo A transport analyst said: "The BEST signed two contracts totalling the procurement of 4,500 e-AC buses from a contractor and 250 from another contractor. Around 700 buses have been delivered, and the remaining are yet to arrive in the fleet. At the same time, it is phasing out old buses owned by the undertaking." The buses are being phased out as they have completed the lifespan of 15 years. This BEST-owned fleet dipped from 3,337 buses in 2019 to 419 at present. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai When contacted, passengers' rights activist Gaurang Vora said: "BEST should seriously increase its fleet strength and reduce fares to some extent to woo more riders, especially from the poor strata of society." Volunteers of AMAB protested outside 22 bus depots on BEST's Foundation Day last week to demand a reduction in bus fares. "The staff, including drivers, should also improve their behaviour. I travel frequently, and I have noticed that the staff is rude. Drivers often brake suddenly, drive rashly, and jump signals. When we speak to them, they are abusive. This was totally unheard of in the past. In the past, they used to fear the public and apologise," Vora said. BEST's present fleet comprises 419 undertaking-owned buses and 2,269 buses on wet lease. The buses cover an average 160 km run per day, with the turnout being 85% to 90%. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Hindustan Times
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
On 78th BEST foundation day, commuters seek rollback of wet lease model, fare hike
Mumbai: Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST (AMAB), a civil society platform comprising commuters and activists from different organisations, held protests at various locations in the city on Thursday, seeking improvement in bus services operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking. Protestors also submitted a memorandum enlisting around half a dozen key demands, including discontinuation of the practice of wet leasing buses, to officers in-charge of 21 BEST depots across the city. Members of over 20 different organisations including BEST employees' unions participated in the protests, said Hussain Indorewala, an urban researcher and founding member of AMAB The protests, which drew over 100 participants, were held a day after a row erupted over two departments of the state government naming two separate Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers as general manager of the cash-strapped BEST. One of the departments subsequently denied making any appointment and Asheesh Sharma assumed charge as the BEST general manager. AMAB had called for protests in front of BEST depots in the city on Thursday, to coincide with BEST's 78th foundation day. Accordingly, commuters and members of the civil society group started assembling outside bus depots and bus stands outside railway stations from 10am, amid showers in various parts of the city. 'Members from over 20 different organisations including BEST employees' unions participated in the protests,' said Hussain Indorewala, an urban researcher and founding member of AMAB who participated in a demonstration at Andheri in the evening. 'We also submitted a memorandum of demands to the officers in-charge at 21 bus depots across the city,' he said. Demands enlisted in the memoranda included discontinuation of the wet lease system, immediate rollback of the recent fare hike, restoration of long-distance routes that were canceled/ curtailed in the recent past, and integration of the BEST budget with the budget of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in line with sections 126 and 134 of the BMC Act, 1888. The undertaking's practice of wet-leasing buses from private companies instead of purchasing them outright has turned out to be a 'total fiasco', said Jagnarayan Kahar, an AMAB member Magathane, Borivali. 'BEST should restore its own fleet to 6,250 buses and improve carrying capacity,' he said. The undertaking currently has a fleet of 2,670 buses, of which only 430 buses are owned by it. Protestors also opposed ongoing efforts to lease out land at BEST depots to private builders on long-term basis, for 60-90 years. The depots are critical for bus parking, maintenance, refueling and amenities for the staff, they said. 'Performance of a public transport system must be evaluated not just on financial metrics but on accessibility, service quality, coverage, and commuter satisfaction,' said Indorewala. Organisations which participated in the protests and endorsed the memoranda of demands included Democratic Youth Federation of India, Humanist Centre (Dahisar and Borivali), Disha Students' Organisation, Fridays for Future Mumbai, Jan Haq Sangharsh Samiti, CITU, Students' Federation of India, Lokraj Sanghatana, Purogami Mahila Sanghatana and BEST Nivruth Kamgar Sanghatana, among others.
Time of India
06-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
BEST celebrates Foundation Day amid low fleet & declining ridership
Mumbai: The wait time at many bus stops continues to be 30-45 minutes, while the latest fleet is at a 15-year low of 2,688 buses as BEST celebrates its Foundation Day on Thursday. Daily ridership has also been hit, with a bus fare hike this year, and is down by at least 300,000 riders per day, sources in the undertaking said. BEST's Foundation Day could witness more protests than celebrations. More than 22 citizens' groups, including Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST (AMAB), will protest outside depots on Thursday, while Congress party activists have also decided to join the stir, spearheaded by former Corporator Sheetal Mhatre. While BEST will launch a museum for double-deckers in an old non-AC twin-deck bus at Anik depot as part of the celebrations, commuters are fuming with the existing double-decker fleet frozen at 50 buses for nearly one and a half years. The plan for 150 more e-double deckers, which could have increased carrying capacity and reduced long queues at bus stops, is stuck in limbo. At the same time, two contracts to have 4,500 new wet lease electric AC buses for Mumbai have been delayed, with just 665 of these contractual buses delivered in the past couple of years, while BEST's own fleet has dwindled from 3,337 in 2019 to 419 buses. This has hugely impacted the overall fleet, which boasted of being more than 4,000 buses a decade ago and is reduced to 2,688 now. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai "With low fleet and bad frequency, it is frustrating to wait for a bus for nearly 45 minutes," said bus fan Shubham Padave, adding that buses with 30-45 minutes frequency continued on many routes, especially in Andheri West to Goregaon West area, Jogeshwari West, Malad East, among other places. "While a few buses have arrived at some depots, they are yet to be registered by RTO, and the charging station work is also incomplete," he pointed out, demanding BEST speed up delivery and induction of new buses. Hussain Indorewala from AMAB said, "The picture is clear: there is a systematic effort by BMC and BEST administration to shrink Mumbai's public bus service. Despite being damaging in every respect (service quality, safety, reliability, and financial sustainability), the authorities have persisted with wet-leasing. There are also plans underway of giving away BEST lands to builders to generate 'non-fare revenue,' which will make BEST worse off. To oppose this systematic destruction, AMAB and 22 other civil society organisations have decided to protest outside 20 bus depots." Former Congress Corporator Sheetal Mhatre said there were no stringent penalties for delay in delivery of buses. "Mumbai's commuters are left stranded while contractors celebrate. From unpaid drivers to buses that exist only on paper, from unexplained fires to delayed procurements, every sign points to a deliberate effort to reduce BEST to nothing more than a nameplate."
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Citizens' Groups to Protest on BEST Foundation Day in Mumbai
Mumbai: As BEST celebrates its Foundation Day on August 7, citizens' group Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST (AMAB) and 22 other civil society organisations have decided to protest outside 20 BEST depots in Mumbai on BEST Divas. The protest will take place on August 7, from 3 to 5 pm, and they plan to submit demands to the depot managers. Hussain Indorewala from AMAB said that this was part of the ongoing 'Save BEST' campaign. "For many years, BMC and BEST have made announcements of increasing the bus fleet, but the number of buses has come down to 2,594, with only 437 BEST-owned buses. We demand that BEST bus service be restored to a fully public transport system to maintain a fleet of at least 6,250 BEST-owned buses (as per the norm of 1 bus per 2000 population)," Indorewala said. "There are also plans underway to give away BEST lands to builders to generate 'non-fare revenue,' which will make BEST worse off and make it close to impossible for BEST to revert back to a fully public system. Lately, BEST suddenly increased fares in May 2025, which immediately led to a drop in BEST's ridership," he added. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai
