BEST gears to shut down AC bus fleet ops from Monday

Mumbai: Reeling under heavy losses and poor public response, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) has finally decided to stop plying its air-conditioned (AC) buses from April 17. The BEST had been suffering a loss of Rs 82 crore per year due to the 266 AC buses that had been bleeding the undertaking dry.

According to officials, the number of commuters had dwindled down to only 216 pass holders and the entire fleet would carry a meagre 18,000 passengers every day. The undertaking has been taking severe flak for the procurement of these buses, which turned out to be fuel-guzzling monsters. Also, the buses were riddled with technical snags and frequent breakdowns vis-a-vis the non-AC buses.

Speaking about the decision, committee member Ravi Raja said, “The decision should have been taken four years ago. We have been suffering losses for far too long.” He further added, “The decision has come after the BEST management and BMC officials met in a recent meeting where it was decided that it will be shut down the AC services. Currently, the undertaking cannot assure the salaries of its drivers so this had to be done.”

BEST general manager Jagdish Patil said the decision has been made to cut costs. “We will present the proposal to the BEST committee on Monday after which the buses will be scrapped,” he said. An official from the BEST said that the average of the AC buses is very low. “In simple words, just compare, one non-AC bus carries 900 passenger per day, while the AC bus plies hardly 100 people,” he said.