Month: April 2021

A Trip Down Memory Lane: Pictures of BEST’s Punched Daily Passes

In late 2014, I developed a weird interest, one that would continue on for two more years. I started documenting bus tickets and daily passes. I then wrote an article here, documenting only daily passes, updating the article over the next two years with pictures from other cities I had been to. You can read the article here: The Underrated Daily Pass.

Among them, what I realised I was that I did not have a picture of BEST’s punched passes. When BEST switched over to electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) in 2011, they made the complete switch. Unlike other transcos such as BMTC or PMPML which manually issues passes (wither punched from a wad or issued from a booklet), BEST issued daily passes also from the ETM. The only other city that I knew at the time that did this was Hyderabad.

A printed BEST Magic AC Daily Bus Pass from 2015. (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia via Wikimedia Commons)

It took me a while to get this picture because all the daily passes printed at that time had my name and ID number printed on it. Then BEST decided that IDs (smart cards) wouldn’t be required on weekends and holidays and one day I got this.

In January 2015, I put out a tweet asking people if they had the old pass or a picture of it. By 2018, BEST’s electronic ticketing was facing problems with the service provider Trimax IT facing bankruptcy, and BEST went back to punched paper tickets. However, I didn’t get much a chance to buy a pass since many conductors didn’t have them and I mostly used the Metro or Western Railway.

Nearly six years later, I was in for a surprise. I got not one picture but pictures of six different passes!

A Twitter user by the name of Mayuresh Pradhan replied to my tweet with this picture.

BEST's punched daily passes (Mayuresh Pradhan/Twitter)
BEST’s punched daily passes (Mayuresh Pradhan/Twitter)

This collection looks lovely no?

Now what are all these different passes? Well, back in the day, BEST had different passes available. The first pass is valid only on ordinary and limited buses in suburban regions, the second and sixth for ordinary and limited buses all over BEST’s operations’ area, the third is also valid for ordinary and limited buses all over BEST’s areas of operation, the fourth one is valid for all non-AC buses including express buses, and the fifth one is only for ordinary and limited buses in the city region, (SoBo).

Passes valid for the city region are valid upto Rani Laxmi Chowk (Sion Circle) and Mahim. Passes valid for suburban regions are valid north of this barrier (where autos ply). Passes that are valid on all routes are valid everywhere across the MMR where BEST operates including Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayendar.

This is what the punched BEST Magic Day Pass looks like.
Don’t forget to follow Mayuresh on Twitter: @MayureshP2020

If you intend to step out whether you buy a daily pass or not, please wear a mask, carry sanitizer and maintain social distancing.

Featured image: A BEST ticket box clicked in 2015. (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia)

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SETC AC Buses Get Germ Filters For A Safe Ride

Your next ride in a long distance AC bus in Tamil Nadu might just be different. In a bid to boost ridership and safety of passengers during the ongoing Wuhan Virus pandemic, the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) of Tamil Nadu has upgraded 20 of its 340 AC buses. According to a report in the Times of India, these 20 buses have been upgraded with air-conditioning units that have multistage air filters, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems to prevent viruses and bacteria from entering the bus.

According to the corporation, 200 of its 340 buses were operational during the lockdown with an average occupancy of 65 per cent. Officials at SETC said that they anticipated additional demand for AC buses during the summer and that many passengers were still skeptical about traveling in AC buses due to the spread of the Wuhan Virus. A private partner was approached for a pilot project in 20 buses. The air filters, each costing ₹40,000 have been installed atop the existing air-conditioning units of the bus.

Officials added that the UV sterlisation destroys micro-organisms that enter, while a filter mesh and photocatalyst absorb larger micro-organisms. The fresh air mechanism ensures that stale air within the bus is not circulated, thus also reducing travel fatigue. An air quality index (AQI) monitor is installed near the driver cabin to measure the AQI in the bus. Results from the trial runs showed that after 25 minutes of operation, AQI went down from 759 micro-organisms per cubic metre to 33.

With the ongoing pandemic, this looks like a fantastic method to reduce transmission of the virus in public transport while also ensuring a smooth and comfortable drive. Tamil Nadu’s chief minister Edappadidi K Palaniswami has so far done a splendid job of handling the pandemic and not allowing India’s most urbanised state to become like Uddhav Thackeray-ruled Maharashtra. EPS has also done a lot for public transport and infrastructure for the state over the last four years. Do keep this in mind when Tamil Nadu goes to polls on 6 April.

It seems the days of TNSTC and SETC being the best transcos in India are back.

Featured image: New SETC AC buses by Vinoth Thambidurai (VOMMspotter).

When you head out to vote for the AIADMK-PMK-BJP alliance on 6th, please remember to wear a mask, carry hand sanitizer and maintain social distancing.

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Did You Know Chennai’s MTC Had Hand Sanitizers Dispensers Installed On All Buses?

Thanks to the Wuhan Virus pandemic, the last one year has been bad for public transport. This has been problematic especially in larger cities such as Mumbai and Chennai. However, Chennai went a step ahead of other cities by installing something as elementary as hand sanitizer dispensers on all buses operated by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC).

Below is a picture that I clicked in January this year. At many places, conductors were insistent that people enter only thru the read door and sanitize their hands before purchasing a ticket. At Vadapalani bus station, several conductors even refused to let passengers board if they weren’t wearing masks or didn’t sanitize their hands.

Hand Sanitizer dispenser inside an MTC bus (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia)

While Tamil Nadu ranks second among deaths and fifth among total cases, one must remember that it is the most urbanised among India’s states (not counting Goa or Sikkim) with 48.15% of its population living in urban clusters. Kerala comes in second with Maharashtra with 47.7% and 45.2% respectively. These two states have meanwhile seen 1.14 million and 3.01 million total cases and nearly 5,000 and 56,000 deaths respectively as opposed to Tamil Nadu with 9 lakh total cases and 12,700 deaths. A special round of applause for Dr Beela Rajesh who served as the state’s health secretary from February 2019 to June 2020.

Tamil Nadu has done really well in its fight against the Wuhan Virus and one has to thank chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami for that. The state goes to polls on 6 April and I hope people remember EPS’ role in tackling the virus when they cast their votes.

Hand sanitizers in buses. Now why didn’t anyone else think of that?

Featured Image: MTC Tata Bharat Stage IV buses. Image Credits: Vinoth Thambidurai (VOMMspotter)

When you head out to vote for the AIADMK-PMK-BJP alliance on 6th, please remember to wear a mask, carry hand sanitizer and maintain social distancing.

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BEST: No Standees Permitted, No Entry Without Mask

As part of the mini-lockdown in Maharashtra which is right now turning into India’s Hubei/New York/California, BEST has announced that starting today (5 April 2021), no standees will be permitted in a bus (a bus will only carry as many passengers as it has seats). However, BEST has not made it clear as to whether social distancing norms will apply as had been the case with Mission Begin Again in June 2020.

Along with this, BEST has also made it mandatory for all passengers to wear masks. Passengers not wearing masks will not be allowed to board buses. One just hopes that the frequency of buses is increased.

Maharashtra under the Sena-NCP-INC government has mishandled the pandemic very badly with 55,000 deaths in the state. No other state comes anywhere close to it. Over the last year, multiple leftists and media propagandists have praised the CM for his handling of the pandemic much like Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo and Governor of California Gavin Newsom have. Both these states are the worst hit in the United States.

If you’re venturing out, please wear a mask and carry sanitiser with you:

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