BEST May Slash Fares to INR 7-8 Soon As It Loses 4.5 Lakh Riders After Hike

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking is planning to reduce bus fares by INR 2–3. This move comes just weeks after a 100% fare hike caused daily passenger numbers to fall by over 4.5 lakh.

BEST is now working to rationalise routes and make prices more affordable, especially for short-distance travellers. A high-level meeting of BEST authorities was reportedly held on June 11. The focus was on revising the fare slabs, resolving the drop in ridership, and taking steps to stabilise the situation. 

The earlier hike was expected to generate INR 590 crore annually. However, it had a negative impact on passenger numbers. As per reports, many people are now choosing shared autorickshaws over BEST buses. 

Sources suggest that authorities are thinking of charging INR 7–8 for journeys between 1 and 3 kms. This will compete with autorickshaw charges.

The current fares for non-AC buses are INR 10 for the first five kilometres and INR 12 for AC buses. After 20 km, there is an INR 5 increase every five kilometres. An additional INR 2 is added for buses crossing the Mumbai district limits. It has been iterated that people travelling 1–2 km should not pay the same as those travelling 5 km.

In 2019, BEST had reduced fares for the first time in over six years to increase ridership. However, the recent hike reversed the progress made. 

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked the BMC commissioner to support BEST. He said BEST should be treated like BMC’s “brother”. He also suggested giving BEST a turnaround package by allocating 3% of the BMC’s total budget. In its 2025–2026 budget, the BMC has allocated INR 1,000 crore to BEST out of a total budget of INR 74,427.41 crore.

The BEST general manager also stated that 100 new buses were ordered on June 10. These will be added to the fleet within a month. Currently, the fleet has 2,591 buses, but only 434 belong to BEST. The rest are operated under contracts. 

Currently, there are 428 bus routes, and they carry about 2.6 million passengers every day. Around 25% to 30% of these are long-distance routes. BEST plans to expand its fleet to have 3,500 buses by March 2026 and 6,000 buses by 2029.