Month: October 2021

BEST Gets Better With Plan To Charge Electric Buses Using Solar Energy

Going a step forward in making Mumbai’s public transport (at least the road part) cleaner, the Birhanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has announced that going forward, all electric buses will be charged using solar power. A report by the Times of India states that a significant amount of this electricity will come from rooftop solar panels installed by BEST’s electricity department consumers.

Under the Government of India’s Grid-Connected Rooftop scheme, electricity consumers can avail of a 40 per cent subsidy on installing panels. BEST is currently catering to 580 kWp (kilowatt peak) of solar power within its operational regions, that is South Bombay (SoBo). The energy generated by consumers is fed back into the grid in return of reductions in their bills.

BEST General Manager Lokesh Chandra has also said that the undertaking will only use Solar and in future wind and hydel power to power their electric fleet. He also said that the undertaking plans to procure the required solar energy to charge 2,100 buses by June 2023 and plans to completely convert its fleet to electric buses by 2027.

In August, BEST had said it plans to supply electricity to charge its buses and in September it had announced plans to open up 55 charging stations at its depots and bus stations for those who want to use them.

Did you know? The world’s first solar-powered bus was the Tindo (Karuna word for sun) in Adelaide, Austrialia. It was introduced in 2007 and is a battery-powered, air-conditioned bus with regenerative braking that can carry 40 passengers. Buses don’t carry solar panels but are charged using solar panels at the central bus station.

BEST is climbing up the electrification ladder quite fast.

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

Featured Image: BEST electric buses (Picture: BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar via Twitter)

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Why Should BEST Have All The Fun? Vasai-Virar Gets On Minibus Bandwagon

Nearly two years after the Birhanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking got its first fleet of mini-buses, another transport body in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has got them too. The Vasai-Virar Municipal Transport (VVMT) undertaking has got these post-vans too, albeit they are yellow and green in colour.

At a first glance, it looks like the bus is the same Force Motors Smart Citibus that BEST has in its fleet. The only noticeable difference is the absence of a scrolling LED destination board on top, although some BEST buses did join the fleet without the LED display.

While the bus might look non-airconditioned, the presence of what seems to be the air-conditioning unit is visible on top of the bus. The open windows are deceptive, they can be opened in BEST’s minis too.

While many people think these buses are a joke, I personally feel they have their uses. They’re great on short routes such as feeder services, point to point services and low-density routes.

Say hello to the Yellow Postvan of Vasai-Virar. (No connection to the Purple Faeries)

Update: Fellow Transit-fan Gandharva Purohit says that these buses were originally owned by Nishnai Holidays. They are Force Traveller T1 buses, customised by PKN Motors of Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. He also shared an photograph of the inside of these buses, which is quite luxurious. Do check them out.

Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)

Do follow Gandharva on Twitter: Gandharva Purohit.

Featured Image: VVMT Minibus by Himanshu Mukherjee (@Railfann9971)

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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BEST’s AC Buses To Airport Run Into Trouble With Transport Authority

On 11 October, Aaditya Thackeray flagged off two new routes of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking. The new routes, while not numbered are point to point services connecting Terminal 2 (T2) of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) with Banda Kurla Complex (BKC) and South Bombay (SoBo) respectively.

Activists claim that the fares are too expensive, which is a separate topic for another day. However, the fare system has run into another form of trouble.

According to a report by the Press Trust of India, the new fares have not been approved by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA). The report states that the BEST committee that approved the fares, but remained mum on whether it had been approved by the MMRTA or not. MMRTA member and Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Avinash Dhakne stated that authority had not received any intimation from BEST on the new fares. The report also added that according to a former member of the Motor Vehicles department, the fare cannot be implemented without a nod from the MMRTA. Another official from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) stated the same.

Fares for regular AC services start at ₹6 for up to 5km, ₹13 for up to 10km and are capped at ₹25. The higher fares for these airport-bound buses did see skepticism on social media.

Apart from social media, the new fares have received flak from corporators in the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) as well. Congress corporator Ravi Raja who also serves on the BEST Committee said that going ahead with the new fare without MMRTA approval was a blunder, remarking that the buses were meant for the ordinary commuter and not the elite class. BJP’s Bhalachandra Shirsat pointed out that under Aaditya Thackeray, BEST was moving in the direction of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC, or ST), which is now facing losses mounting to over ₹6,500 crores (in June 2021) which has in turn resulted in a lack of pay for employees. In the 18 months that the Uddhav Thackeray government has been in power, 27 MSRTC staffers have committed suicide due to financial duress, reports Mid-Day.

Another point of concern is BEST’s focus on SoBo and complete disregard for the suburbs under the current regime. Let us hope BEST cleans up its act soon, lest BEST turns the worst.

Featured Image: BEST’s new Electric Fleet on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

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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Satire: BEST Makes Use Of Cartoon Physics, Will Float Buses With Helium Balloons To Avoid Traffic Jams

With ever increasing traffic jams on Mumbai’s streets, an under-construction metro network that is nowhere close to fruition, the city’s public transport agencies have come together to draw out solution from their collective hats – that is subject to them having any.

After reaching no conclusion, some officials opened their phones to draw inspiration. Thanks to YouTube’s amazing recommendation engine, they were soon watching videos on Cartoon Physics, after which a solution presented itself.

Officials of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking have decided that they will tie up helium balloons to buses in order to make them float above traffic.

A trial run was conducted using the Force Motors Smart Citibus fleet on route A-605 in Bhandup.

Officials have stated that the plan to use the mini-buses was due to their small size and weight. One official added that the lack of a conductor inside the bus made it even easier for it to float. Further, since these buses are powered by diesel, it made more sense to use them, as fuel will be saved during the journey.

On being asked how the buses will come down at a bus stop, the official said, “All our conductors have been taught how to fly a kite. When a bus approaches a bus stop where the conductor is waiting, he will throw a rope that will attach itself to the axle of the bus and pull it down. We have also made our conductors watch cowboy movies so they know how to use a lasso.”

On being asked how the driver plans to steer the buses, the official retorted, “Steering wheel hai na” to our correspondent.

Senior officials were unavailable for comment.

This is not the first time BEST has come up with innovative ideas. A year ago, officials decided that they will run their mini-bus fleet inside the tunnels built for Mumbai Metro Line 3, since the depot was not being built. BEST also found a way to use air pollution in the city by pioneering display boards that made use of dust.

Will this plan take BEST buses ‘higher’? We don’t know.

Note: The above article is meant to be humourous.Please don’t register a police complain or send goondas to the writer’s residence.

Featured Image: BEST mini-bus on A-605 via Twitter.

If you are tired of getting stuck on traffic in Mumbai, do check out these stickers by Roads of Mumbai.

Also Read:

Satire: In Absence Of Depot, Metro 3 To Run BEST Buses In Tunnel

After Pioneering Rolling Cloth Destination Boards, BEST Now Switches To Dust-Written Displays

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BEST To Try Out Hub And Spoke Model To Ease Commutes

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking will soon rationalise a few bus routes so that they ‘merge’ with others and thus can help commuters change buses easier, reports Shashank Rao for the Free Press Journal.

Under this new hub and spoke model, bus routes will converge at key areas, allowing for streamlined traffic and better changeovers for passengers. In order to implement this plan, the undertaking will require 4,852 buses. It currently has only 3,242.

What all does the plan entail?

The plan involves five nodal points each in the island city and Western suburbs and four in the Eastern suburbs. They are Colaba, Backbay, Worli, Mahim and Dadar in the south, Bandra, Santacruz, Goregaon, Dindoshi and Dahisar in the West and Sion, Mulund, Anushakti Nagar and Ghatkopar in the East. Different routes will converge at these nodal points, allowing passengers to seamlessly change routes.

Further, bus operations will be divided into five corridors. There is a main corridor, a sub-corridor, an east-west corridor and rail-feeder corridor. The last one will also see an expansion once Metro Lines 2 and 7 are operational.

What is the hub and spoke model?

The hub and spoke model, as opposed to the point-to-point model is where a certain geographical region has a point that acts as a hub. Multiple routes converge at the hub , thus allowing an exchange of passengers from one route to another. The model is heavily used in aviation where flights along lesser served routes arrive at a hub and passengers then transfer to another flight.

In the current context, an example of the hub and spoke model (partially) would be people taking the suburban line to either Andheri or Ghatkopar and then boarding the Metro Line 1.

BEST’s plan to go for a hub and spoke model would augur well for commuters.

Featured Image: Buses parked at Agarkar Chowk in 2018, viewed from the skywalk by Srikanth Ramakrishnan

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