The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses will not operate at the full strength till Thursday, January 15. The transport body has announced a 40 per cent reduction in the daily services.
This development comes as 1,065 buses will be deployed for election-related work ahead of the civic polls.
The shortage is expected to increase waiting time at bus stops and journey durations.
The buses—both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned—will be used to transport polling staff, electronic voting machines (EVMs), and other election material to polling booths across Mumbai.
BEST’s total fleet currently stands at 2,743 buses, of which 2,494 are on wet lease.
In addition to this, approximately 75 percent of the Thane transport service buses will be made available for election work from January 14 to January 15, 2026.
A total of 275 buses will be supplied for the election process on January 14 and January 15, 2026. Consequently, only 80 to 85 buses will operate on various routes within the city from morning until 3:00 pm on January 14, 2026, and after 4:00 pm on January 15, 2026.
It is pertinent to note that this also comes amid large-scale usage of private and commercial vehicles for election purposes.
As per reports, more than 3,400 auto-rickshaws, taxis, buses, cars and tempos have already been deployed for election duty across Mumbai.
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