Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent coronavirus induced lockdown which restricted travel on Mumbai locals, the number of passengers commuting on the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses has increased.
In the last 15 months, the number of BEST passengers has increased by 3,47,000 passengers. Given the growing number of passengers, the BEST administration is trying to get the delayed buses on board as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, by the end of August, BEST is expected to add 100 new buses. Even though the restrictions due to the pandemic witnessed a lower rate of passengers initially, as the coronavirus cases decreased, BEST sought permission from Mumbai’s civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the state government to ferry passengers at full capacity.
Earlier, only 50 per cent of commuters were allowed to travel on the buses. As a result, from June 7, 2021, the best buses started running at full passenger capacity.
On the other hand, in recent developments has announced that the city is to acquire 140 spacious new buses. Moreover, these buses are to be 12 metres in length and also environment friendly as they run on electricity. The first bus arrived on Friday, June 25. In addition, BEST plans to increase its fleet from 3,300 to over 4,000 buses and is inducting not just AC electric but also 700 more buses including AC Mini and CNG buses in the coming days.
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