At a presentation made by the World Resources Institute (WRI India) at the Urban Mobility India conference, it was reported that the cost-per-kilometre had come down by 30 per cent for buses of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking.
As per a report in Economic Times, out of the 3,619 buses in BEST’s fleet, 48 per cent is wet-leased under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model. BEST officials say that the GCC model has helped them reduce losses by close to ₹400 crore a year.
The report added that cities that don’t have the resources or expertise required to operate an efficient public transport system can look at the GCC model, currently being trialed in tier-2 cities in Maharashtra and also with buses of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).
WRI’s report added that Indian cities would need to invest ₹7.5 lakh crore by 2030 on bus transport to meet the demand. It opined that the current outlay of 60,000 buses in urban areas was inadequate and at least 1.3 lakh buses would be needed to meet the demand. It also stated that integration of public transport networks, including buses, trains and metro rail could create new employment opportunities.
On the subject of electric mobility, Maharashtra is among the top three states, collectively accounting for 72 per cent of electric buses operational across the country. Mumbai alone has 403 electric buses, making it the highest among all metro cities.
Featured Image: Bus A252 at Andheri Station (Photo clicked in 2019 by Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia)
