Ever travelled by a BEST bus in Mumbai? Here's the complete picture of what it is going through right now and how it affects us.
BEST bus is not the best anymore
Every Mumbaikar has fond memories and experiences of a BEST bus journey. Since several years, every single day, hundreds of Mumbaikars wait for the same BEST at the same bus-stop to commute. Mumbaikars have memories of asking the bus driver to stop for a few minutes longer when a passenger is running late, parents dropping their school-going kids to the BEST bus and trustingly asking the conductor to look out for the kids, and the same kids then return with sweets on the day of result. A relation built over the years based on trust and comfort. Even before independence, double-decker buses have been roaming on Mumbai roads. Mumbai looks so beautiful when you ride down a double-decker bus on Marine Drive during twilight.
Earlier, taxi (kaali-peeli) and the BEST buses were the only modes of transport available to Mumbaikars. However, the city started sprawling and people started traveling from suburbs in trains. Gradually, people started owning cars and bikes and used the BEST bus less often.
In the past few years, we’ve seen reports of BEST transport department reporting consistent losses. Coincidently, people reporting an unpleasant BEST ride has been increasing. Torn seats, broken handles, throbbing noise from the engine etc are some of the common complaints. BEST is not as comforting as before, they say. BEST deployed a few tactics to contain the losses, such as slashing the number of buses, renting buses, downsizing and freezing employee allowances but all this hasn’t helped much.
In 1989, the BEST had 428,900 passengers per day. In 1993-94, the number reached 50 lakh and remained around 50 lakhs till 2008. In the last 15 years, however, the number of BEST commuters has come down. Since BEST buses and routes were decreased, people took to other alternatives and BEST reported more losses. Now the number of passengers has come down to just 26 lakhs.
A few years ago, BEST also added air-conditioned buses to their fleet of buses. However, these buses have been nothing short of a nuisance for the passengers due to frequent breakdowns, malfunctioned ACs, and other inconveniences. By 2008, the BEST had 266 air-conditioned buses. However, due to frequent maintenance issues, the passengers have stopped using the air-conditioned service. The BEST was hit with a massive loss of around Rs. 82 crore each year. Finally, the BEST administration had no option but to shut down all the air-conditioned services in April 2017. However, they have started new Hybrid AC buses again since April 2018, with each bus costing a whopping 1 crore.
BEST uses E.T.I.M machines to verify the validity of smart card holders but more than 60 percent of BEST’s E.T.I.M machines don’t work and nor have they fixed it. This resulted in the loss of income of Rs 50 lakh on the daily income of BEST. To sustain BEST, the administration had to borrow a loan of up to ₹1800 crore. Seeing the degrading condition of BEST, even the banks were hesitant to financially aid the entity.
Out of desperation to revive itself, the BEST administration shot itself in the foot by approving a fare hike in the 2018-2019 budget. This resulted in more loss, instead of profit. The BEST administration decided to take 450 new buses on a lease and introduced a ‘pay and park’ scheme in their depots for private vehicles. This scheme is currently being implemented in two installments. Apart from this, cancellation of allowances, reducing manpower, etc. have been planned for the reduction in expenses. Last year the BEST deficit increased by Rs 300 crores. The consumers of BEST electricity were burdened with a surcharge to make up for losses in the BEST transport department. Thankfully, the high court ordered against it.
People in the BEST administration with political motivations kept the rates from increasing throughout the years. Things wouldn’t have escalated as much if the rates were hiked at the right time.
The question that irked Mumbaikars was that why weren’t the buses deployed from the less-traveled routes to the heavily crowded ones?
With improving infrastructure like Metro, BEST’s demand is expected to fall further.
Amidst all this chaos of BEST loss, privatization, employee strikes etc, no one seems to be talking about Mumbaikar’s hard-earned tax money being wasted on running this entity. As long as the common man’s convenience is not not given priority while offering a service, people will inevitably turn their back on it. It is unfortunate that a common Mumbaikar doesn’t hold BEST in the same regards as he did before, all because of politicisation of an essential bus service.
Author – Suchita Deshpande
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