It’s official. The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is finally revising its fare after slightly over five years. And while most media publications are describing it as a ‘sharp’ or ‘significant hike’ it is isn’t all too bad. The new fare structure has got approval from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and is currently awaiting approval from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA). Officials say that the fare hike was unavoidable as the incumbent fare structure was too low and the undertaking was bleeding revenue. Prior to the fare reduction, the minimum fare in BEST’s non-AC buses was ₹8.
As per reports, the minimum fare would be doubled, essentially reaching the next fare stage of ₹10 for non-AC and ₹12 for AC buses.
The new fare structure is given below
| Fare Stage | Non AC Fare | AC Fare |
| 0-5km | ₹10 | ₹12 |
| 5-10km | ₹15 | ₹20 |
| 10-15km | ₹20 | ₹30 |
| 15-20km | ₹30 | ₹35 |
| 20-25km | ₹35 | ₹40 |
The rates for weekly and monthly passes have also been raised. There will also be additional surcharges for leaving the limits of the municipal corporation and crossing toll plazas.
Featured Image: Conductor selling tickets with a Ticket Machine (Image animated using ChatGPT/OpenAI)
