Mumbai: The 28-lakh odd commuters who travel using the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) buses will soon be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi connectivity in 4,015 air-conditioned and non-air conditioned buses. The BEST project is likely to be implemented by November this year and it is estimated to cost the undertaking around Rs 2 crore.
The BEST committee, which cleared the proposal on Monday, decided that not only will commuters get free Wi-Fi but will also be able to connect to entertainment channels. The limit of data download will be 20 MB per user in each trip. However, there is no limit for data consumption on the Wi-Fi.
Commuters who might be stuck in Mumbai’s frustrating traffic can download songs, listen to music and watch movies all made available at their finger tips, thanks to the to-be-introduced features. A spokesperson from the company that is providing the services — Fin Mobile India Pvt Limited, made a presentation to the committee. He said, “We are fitting each of the buses with the Wi-Fi modem and each seat will have a hard disc on which serials, comedy shows and songs will be updated to make sure people don’t listen and see the same thing over and over again.”
Along with free Wi-Fi, the BEST will soon provide GPS in buses in order to provide the locations and punctuality of the buses to commuters. After taking into account the traffic patterns, commuters will be provided the Expected Time of Arrival (ETA). They can then wait for the bus to come if the ETA is, for example, only five or 10 minutes more.
BEST general manager Jagdish Patil said, “The GPS will be integrated with the M-indicator mobile application so the commuters will now know the ETA of buses in which the GPS is installed.” He further added, “We will hopefully introduce these features by November this year.”
BEST committee member Kedar Hombalkar said, “I feel that this initiative is almost our saving grace about winning back commuters, who have shifted to either private taxis and share rickshaws.”
