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.
