As the BMC hired additional ST buses to run on the route of BEST buses in view of the increase in the number of passengers travelling, as per reports, in the last 15 days, one lakh passengers have travelled on the ST buses running on the BEST route.
Earlier, at least 76 STs arrived at the BEST's Mumbai Central depot. These STs were being run on crowded routes. With the arrival of ST, BEST operated a total of 3,551 buses on the route.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) had 16 lakh passengers as of September 21. As a result, the rules of social distancing were heavily violated due to congestion. Apart from that, due to the shortage of trains and traffic congestion, passengers waited for hours at the BEST stop. As a result, some had to opt for rickshaws and taxis.
Finally, it was decided to run ST buses with the help of BEST from September 24. As the ST buses started running on the route of BEST, passengers started getting instant service. Moreover, it was witnessed that the passengers, who would earlier only opt for BEST would not go for the ST buses.
Meanwhile, in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the BEST has partnered with PhonePe to provide contactless ticketing with over 10,000 conductors assigned a unique QR code. The commuters who use the services regularly will now be able to pay the fare through UPI based QR codes on some major routes without fretting about carrying cash or exact change for their fare.
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