Mumbai BEST Buses News: Fares Up, Frequency Down, Commuters Stranded

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is facing a tough time. While the administration has decided to increase ticket fares, 400 buses from its own fleet are set to be scrapped by November 2025. At the same time, the delivery of 2,100 new buses ordered on wet lease in 2022 is still pending, according to a mid-day report.

Last week, Mumbai civic chief Bhushan Gagrani approved a fare hike proposal. Under this plan, ticket prices will rise by Rs 5 to Rs 15. However, the fare increase comes at a time when the BEST's own bus fleet is shrinking fast. At present, BEST owns about 650 buses. Of these, 400 will be scrapped over the next 18 months as they are nearing the 15-year age limit, beyond which buses must be retired.

Photo Credit: PTI

This shrinking fleet is already affecting daily services. According to a former BEST official, the average waiting time for a bus has gone up to 25-30 minutes. "Ideally, a commuter should not have to wait more than 10 to 12 minutes. If the waiting time comes down, more people will start using buses again," he explained in the mid-day report.

A BEST spokesperson confirmed the scrapping of 400 old buses and said the organisation is currently not purchasing new buses for itself. Instead, it is relying on wet-lease buses to keep services running. "We placed an order for 2,100 electric buses on wet lease in 2022. The contractor has assured us that all buses will be delivered by April 2026. So far, around 500 buses have arrived. Once the rest are delivered, we expect to improve bus frequency," the spokesperson added in the same report.

Records show that the 2,100 buses were meant to be delivered within a year of the order, but delays have occurred. Officials say the main reason is a shortage of imported parts required for electric buses. Also, BEST does not have the budget to buy buses outright. For reference, a CNG bus costs around Rs 60 lakh, and an electric air-conditioned bus costs about Rs 1.8 crore.

Commuter groups and civic activists have expressed concerns over these developments. Activist Anil Gagali warned that fare hikes without better service could push commuters to use auto-rickshaws and taxis instead. "The fare hike should only come after frequency improves," he said.

Former BEST committee member Ravi Raja, however, supported the fare hike. "This is the first fare revision in six years. We must keep fares in line with operational costs, like other public transport services," he said in the report.

Commuter rights activist Rupesh Shelatkar added that BEST should maintain its own fleet, especially since past strikes by wet-lease staff have caused service disruptions. He also said that older CNG buses can continue to run if the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) grants permission.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Transport Authority (MMRTA) held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the fare hike. A BEST official confirmed they were aware of the meeting but had not yet received any details about the discussions.

As things stand, Mumbai's public transport users are likely to face more challenges before they see improvements.