Month: September 2021

BEST Idea? Over Fifty Electric Vehicle Charging Points To Come Up AT Bus Depots

In a bid to boost the usage of electric vehicles (EVs) in the city, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has decided to establish 55 EV charging stations at various bus depots and stops, reports The Free Press Journal. BEST General Manager Lokesh Chandra stated that these charging points will be made accessible to private vehicles as well.

BEST has 386 EVs in its fleet currently and not all of its 27 depots have charging facilities. Options for both slow and fast charging will be made available for those who want to use the charging points. The report also adds that according to Vahan, there are 2,143 EVs registered in four RTOs (Tardeo, Andheri, Borivali and Wadala) in Mumbai.

It currently takes six hours for BEST buses to charge completely, which may pose a hurdle considering that the undertaking is looking at procuring 1,900 electric buses by 2023. BEST’s current fleet consists of electric buses manufactured by Olectra (formerly Goldstone), and Tata Motors (Tata Starbus and Tata Marcopolo).

In a report for Mid-Day last month, transport experts felt that BEST could supply the electricity to its depots for charging EVs in order to reduce costs and more importantly, improve finances of the electricity supply division of the undertaking. Buses are currently heavily subsidised by the Central Government’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme.

This electrifying plan looks quite like the BEST idea for BEST right now.

Feautured Image: BEST’s Olectra Bus by Yash Mhadgut.

If you intend to step out, whether to board on electric bus or not, please wear a mask, carry sanitizer and maintain social distancing.

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PMPML Gets Digital Screens Inside Bus For Advertisements To Boost Revenue

After exploring several avenues to boost revenues, loss-making Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has decided to implement one more method. The Corporation has decided to install digital screens for advertisements inside buses.

This method was earlier pioneered by the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking in Mumbai in the late 2007s. BEST buses had closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras positioned at the entrance and exit of buses and two screens at the front of the bus that alternated between footage from the cameras and advertisements. Anyone who took a BEST bus in 2007-2008 would remember trailers of Jimmy, the debut film of Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mimoh. It kept appearing every two minutes and was really annoying.

Below is an image of the new display inside a PMPML bus, shared on Twitter by Devesh Shah.

This can be a good revenue booster for PMPML, which is currently in dire straits. As per a news report from July, the corporation is expecting its losses to touch ₹9,600 crore in the next ten years.

PMPML has been looking at different avenues of monetising its available assets over the last year but many of its efforts have faced a lot of flak. The most critical response was to a plan in March where it was proposed to set up bus shelters with a small-shop attached to it. Many activists and the usual suspect Pune Mirror heaped unwarranted criticism over the move claiming it would attract paan-bidi shops and inconvenience passengers without a shred of evidence.

Also Read: PMPML Gets Flak For Brilliant Plans To Monetise Network With Shops At Bus Stops

Subsequently PMPML began looking for other avenues, including starting parcel services and redeveloping its depots as commercial spaces.

The plan to set up digital displays may bode well for the corporation. A Business Standard report from 2013 said that BEST was charging advertisers a mere ₹9,300 for a 10 second advert on displays across its fleet. Should PMPML equip all the buses in its fleet with displays, it can earn a significant amount. It can also make use of the displays present at its Rainbow BRTS stations.

Let’s hope PMPML succeeds this time. Video ads inside a bus may not be such a bad deal after all.

Also Read: Dear Activists, Profit In Public Transport Is Important To Get People To Give Up Their Cars

Featured Image: Digital Advertisement Display In A PMPML Bus By Devesh Shah on Twitter

If you intend to step out please wear a mask, carry sanitizer and maintain social distancing.

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Nearly Two Years Later, AC Mini Buses Finally Connect Andheri Station With Lokhandwala Complex

Nearly two years after the first batch of AC minibuses hit the roads of Andheri, BEST finally seems to have given in to a long pending demand.

Till now, the two AC buses connecting Lokhandwala Complex to Andheri Station (West) A-266 and A-268, both terminated at Swami Samarth Nagar Circle. While A-266 went via Four Bunglows, A-268 went via Monginis Cake Company. There was no direct AC bus from Lokhandwala Complex to Andheri Station. The only air-conditioned connection from Lokhandwala Complex was A-234 that went to Jogeshwari Bus Station (West).

This was brought to light by our friends at the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association (ALOCA) via an Instagram Post.

The route change took effect from 1 September 2021, just a fortnight short of the second anniversary of BEST launching these postvans.

I’m not sure about how the fare would work yet though. If the existing non-AC fare is ₹10, then this falls under the second stage and BEST would then be required to have two AC fares as well, which would be a problem with mini-buses. I will update this post as I get more information.

To read more about BEST’s single-stage operations using conductor-less buses, do read Explained: Why There Is No Direct AC Bus From Versova-Yari Road To Andheri Station.

To read more about my thoughts on conductor-less buses from 2015, do read Conductor-less buses: A boon or a bane?

Here’s a shoutout to our friends at ALOCA, do follow them on Twitter: @AndheriLOCA and Instagram: @andheri_loca.

Featured Image: A-266 at Andheri Station (West), clicked in December 2019 by me.

Till then, take care, stay safe, and take proper precautions while stepping out:

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