The hybrid-electric buses being run by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has received good response in the first few days of its operation.
The service was inaugurated last Friday and operations began in full swing on Monday. In the first two days, BEST earned around ₹1.4 lakh and ferried over 5,000 passengers. The most popular route was found to be BKC-21, which runs between Bandra station (East) and Diamond Bourse in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).
“This a really good initiative. The ride is smooth and without any hiccups,” said Alpesh Batavia, a resident of Borivali, who commutes to BKC daily. “While this is the first time I am using this service, I have travelled in electric AC buses at Churchgate. The BEST should move towards running more such buses as they are quieter and do not cause pollution.”
The BEST runs point-to-point services of the hybrid-electric buses in the morning and evening and connects BKC with Borivali, Kharghar, Thane and Mulund. The BEST earned ₹18,230 on the Thane-BKC route on Tuesday. The fares of the BKC services are ₹16, ₹21 and ₹26. Once the buses reach BKC, they operate on shuttle routes that connect BKC with Sion, Kurla station and Bandra station.
“If the government provides such excellent service, then no will use private transport,” said Bhagwanbhai Patel, a broker who commutes every day to BKC. His colleague Nareshbhai Dhole said, “They need to improve its frequency. They should make the fare ₹20, which is inclusive of tax.”
