The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) will present a new fare chart for the air-conditioned buses in a last-ditch effort to at least break even the cost of these buses in particular. The new fare chart can go either way, said BEST officials but will be presented to the BEST committee in the coming week.
The air-conditioned buses currently cost the undertaking an annual loss of Rs 82 crore and the new fares will be adjusted to the distance being travelled (slabs). Committee members have been asking the BEST management to improve or shut these buses down altogether, owing to its inability to earn any profits.
Committee member Ravi Raja said that the entire fleet of air-conditioned buses should be removed from the BEST.
“No other facet or part of the BEST has earned as much negative reviews from the passengers as much as these buses. We should stop running them to save ourselves further humiliation,” he said.
However, the BEST plans this all around with the introduction of new fares where the commuter will not only be given more incentives such as slashed bus passes, but the management is tilting towards increasing the slab (distance that can be travelled), while keeping the same fare structure.
“The new fare chart for the air-conditioned bus might be tweaked in such a way in that a person can travel for 3 km in Rs 8; currently you have to pay Rs 10 for 2 km and the minimum fare is Rs 8 up to the 2-km slab,” said an BEST official on condition of anonymity.
When asked if this was the case, BEST general manger Jagdish Patil said that it would be too premature to make such statements.
“I wouldn’t want to say anything about whether the slabs will be increased or the fare will be decreased. Currently, we will present the fare chart to the committee and if it is approved, it goes to the BMC and then finally to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA),” he said.
The BEST has approximately 300 air-conditioned buses of which almost 150 are not working.
