NCMC: An Open Letter To NPCI And Several Transport Operators

This is a quasi-continuation of the previous post All You Need To Know About The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) where I had mentioned about ‘Exclusive’ NCMCs.

It was Saturday, 16 March 2024. I walked into the Vanaz metro station in Pune, asked the Customer Care if my NCMC would work (they said yes) and then crossed security. When I swiped my card at the turnstile, it refused to work. I tried multiple times and it still didn’t work. I then walked back to the counter and was asked to show my card. Back then I was using an RBL Bank issued Namma Metro NCMC from Bangalore. On seeing my card, the customer care agent curtly replied, “This card won’t work. You need to get our NCMC”. I know, it didn’t make sense then and it doesn’t make sense even now. Eventually I settled on buying a ticket to PMC Bhavan so that I’d take a bus back. I was originally planning to try out both lines but now I’d have to buy different tickets, instead of just swiping in and out as I had originally planned. Totally dampened my spirits and left me unable to even enjoy the Titagarh Firema trains that I had been looking forward to ever since they released the first render. To make matters worse, it turns out that when I tried to pay for my tickets using UPI, it didn’t work on either Amazon Pay or MobiKwik. Yeah, I’m not big on GPay or PhonePe. Eventually I settled for paying in cash. It seems Mahametro was pulling out all the stops to ensure that all the interoperability that the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) strived to ensure under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Digital India mission would fail. The interesting thing was that barely a month ago, one Bhaumik Gowande had shared on Twitter (now X) that he had successfully used his HDFC Bank-issued Pune Metro NCMC on the Delhi Metro. Eventually I confirmed with multiple people that no other card worked on the Pune Metro. Two days later, I was in Mumbai where I used the same RBL Bank NCMC without issues on Mumbai Metro’s Line 1 and Line 7 as well as on a BEST Bus.

This has been a total disappointment so far since I’m the guy who used to travel a lot between Mumbai and Pune and I always got off at Chembur and made my way to Ghatkopar before heading to Andheri by metro. The metro would seem to be the obvious choice coming back to Pune as well. If I caught a bus heading to Pune Station via Pimpri-Chinchwad, I’d get down at PCMC Bhavan, if Swargate via Chandani Chowk then at Vanaz. I sincerely hope that the PMRDA/Pune IT City Metro Rail/Tata-Siemens line does not do the same mistake since a lot of people would get off at Bhujbal Chowk and take the metro to either Hinjewadi or the rest of Pune City.

Over the next few months, I heard that the issue was there even on Nagpur Metro, another MahaMetro Line. This got me thinking and after reaching out to a few more friends, I unearthed more. It wasn’t just Pune and Nagpur but also Kochi and Noida for metro and Ahmedabad and Surat for buses.

Then I stumbled upon NPCI’s list of live members and everything made sense. Noida’s City1, Ahmedabad’s Janmitra, Surat’s SuratMoney, Kochi’s Kochi1, Nagpur’s MahaCard and Pune’s OnePune Card were all ‘exclusive NCMCs”, although that makes no sense. That’s neither National, nor Common. Or, to quote someone who replied to me when I was ranting about my Pune experience, NCMC in these cities stood for “Nahi chalega, M*****c***”.

Now, just imagine the irony of this. The NCMC in its current form was launched six years ago, coincidentally on my birthday, by the BJP government and was promoted extensively as ‘One Nation, One Card’ everywhere. The RBL Namma Metro NCMC from Bangalore in fact even says these four words on the front of the card. Of the six cities where this exclusivity is seen, five of them are in BJP-ruled states. Oh, the delicious irony. I’ve already explained why this is a bad idea for the Mumbai-Pune belt already but here me out.

In Noida, as part of the National Capital Region (NCR), there are three metro systems adjacent to it that accept NCMC – Delhi Metro, RapidX, Rapid Metro Rail Gurgaon (RMRG). You can count Delhi Metro twice if you want to count the Airport Express line as independent and skip RMRG since it is practically a part of Delhi Metro since IL&FS went bankrupt. It gets worse considering that in the near future, the Meerut Metro will open up and since it is an extension of RapidX, you can use the NCMC there with a breeze but just not in Noida and Greater Noida.

Now come down to Amdavad where the Gujarat Metro Rail Corp (GMRC, formerly MEGA) accepts any NCMC across its network. But the Janmitra Card, issued by the Ahmedabad Smart City Corporation through ICICI Bank is the only card that works on the Janmarg BRTS, AMTS buses, and for entry at Kankaria Lake and the Sabarmati Riverfront. So you still need to carry two cards here.

Surat remains fairly fine in the current scenario but once the Mumbai-Amdavad HSR line opens up, and the Surat Metro as well, what will happen? People will be traveling a lot between these cities and it will be the repeat of the Mumbai-Pune debacle. Kochi, alone remains fairly isolated in this mess but I’ve been told that Axis Bank requires you to go through the entire KYC process once a year. Ironically one transit fan once made fun of me saying Kochi was the first to launch NCMC and Mumbai and Bangalore had a lot of catching up to do. That must be stinging him today.

Further, what if this causes existing transport operators who accept any NCMC to start accepting only their own NCMC?

So, to NPCI, MahaMetro, Noida Metro Rail Corp, Kochi Metro Rail Corp, Amdavad and Surat Municipal Corporations, can we set aside this nonsense and truly embrace a common mobility card? One that works everywhere? One that doesn’t need me to buy your card when I have a perfectly functioning card already? My current Airtel Payments Bank Card has successfully been used on six systems as of now – Mumbai Metro One, Maha Mumbai Metro, BEST buses, Bangalore’s Namma Metro, Chennai Metro and MTC buses. As I travel, I will be using the card on other systems that support any and all NCMCs.

The very concept of an ‘exclusive NCMC’ beats the very concept of the card itself. I hope the NPCI and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the implementing agency for the NCMC take note of this to make things easier for commuters.

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All You Need To Know About The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)

One phrase that has been going on for the past few years in the transit scene is the National Common Mobility Card, or NCMC, sometimes going by the name One Nation, One Card as well. So, what is the NCMC, how does it work and how does one get it? 

The answer is simple. The NCMC is essentially an EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) compatible open-loop card that can be used for transit almost anywhere in India. The NCMC is a RuPay (usually Prepaid, sometimes Debit) card issued by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) through a bank. In principle, any RuPay card (Prepaid and Debit) can be used as an NCMC after a service area creation (you present the card to the customer care at the metro station and ask them to do so) and after that it works.  Just ensure that the RuPay Contactless symbol is visible on the card. The transit balance is known as the ‘Offline’ or ‘Contactless’ balance and is not the same as the balance that can be used for regular swipe transactions. 

The RuPay Contactless symbol

Now comes the common question, what if you, like me, don’t want a regular debit or credit card shoved down my throat and just want a card purely for transit purposes?  

So it turns out NPCI has three variants of the RuPay Contactless. The first is a Debit Card that is linked to a savings bank account and has the following limits: ₹2,000 for transit payments, ₹5,000 for contactless PoS payments, ₹10,000 for ATM withdrawals and ₹25,000 for shopping (regular payments). The second is the Minimum KYC Wallet that allows for the same ₹2,000 limit for transit payments and ₹9,000 for PoS payments (shopping) and drops support for ATM withdrawals. The last one is the Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) card that acts as a standalone transit card with a limit of ₹2,000 for transit payments only. 

Now, most transit companies that are accepting NCMC (You can check out the full list by clicking here) will issue a card either after minimum KYC or even no KYC. For minimum KYC, they will ask for your ID proof, either PAN or Aadhaar and a phone number. For no KYC, you don’t even need that. If you’re in Chennai, you can get a no KYC Ongo NCMC through vending machines at various stations. If you’re in Mumbai, you can get the Airtel NCMC with just your phone number and a one-time password (OTP) at any Blue Line (Line 1) station.  

If you get an NCMC at either a metro station or bus terminal, then you will likely not have to create a service area for it. You can just directly use it.  

Now, coming to the next part – recharging your NCMC. An NCMC can be recharged anywhere where it is accepted. That means you can recharge it at the customer care of the metro station you used it at or at the depot of the bus transco that you used it at. Alternatively, you can also recharge it online, using the bank’s website or the bank’s app. Note. Online recharges require the card to be topped up before they can be used. You can do this at any of the card validating machines at the metro station, or if you have NFC capabilities on your phone, you can do it then and there. If you’re recharging at a metro station, do ask the staff once. Some metro systems have awkward regulations, such as Chennai Metro not allowing UPI transactions for non-SBI cards to be recharged.

Where the NCMC won’t work 

Now comes an interesting thing. There are some cases where your existing NCMC may not work even though the system is fully NCMC compliant. These are: Noida Metro, Kochi Metro, Pune Metro, Nagpur Metro, Ahmedabad Janmarg (BRTS), Ahmedabad City buses (AMTS) and Surat Citilink (BRTS). Why? According to NPCI, these systems are exclusive systems which means that only their NCMCs will be accepted there but not others. However, these NCMCs will be valid on all the other non-exclusive systems. To quote NPCI: “Exclusive NCMC project means a single bank is selected by a transit operator who acts as issuer as well as acquirer.” Further, NPCI also states that “NCMC cards of other banks will also get accepted in future as decided by Authority.” 

A more detailed article on this will follow soon.  

So now, you know how the NCMC works, how to get one, how to recharge it and how to use it. So go on out, start traveling and let me know. If you run into any trouble or find out something interesting about the NCMC, do drop a note in the comments below. 

Note: I personally recommend getting the Airtel Payments Bank NCMC. It has so far been problem-free, allows me to track my payments properly and more.

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It’s Official! BEST’s Chalo Bus Will Soon Ply Across Atal Setu

Transit fans and Infra fans can rejoice now as the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undetaking’s Chalo Bus premium service will now ply across the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Trans-Harbour Link or Atal Setu, India’s longest bridge connecting Sewree (Shivdi) to Nhava Sheva across the mainland. This will mark BEST’s foray into connecting the Ulwe side of Navi Mumbai, which it has hitherto not touched.

Route number S-145 will connect Konkan Bhavan on the Sion-Panvel Highway at CBD Belapur to World Trade Centre near Backbay Depot. The bus will run via Sagar Sangam (near the NMMC Head Office, also known as White House by some locals at Killa/Kille Gaon), Targhar, Ulwe, Aai Tarumata, Kamadhenu Oaklands, then take the Atal Setu and Eastern Freeway before touching Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Churchgate Station (Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk) and then terminate at World Trade Centre at Cuffe Parade. At this point I don’t know if the bus will have a stop at Mantralaya, which falls between the last two stops.

Four buses will be operated on this route, of which two will travel in the CBD Belapur to World Trade Centre direction in the morning and two in the reverse direction in the evening.

You can book your seats with the Chalo app on Android and iOS.

Apart from this, a report in Mid-Day by Rajendra Aklekar also states that BEST plans to run regular services in the Ulwe belt.

Chalo conducted a trial run with bus enthusiasts including Shubham Padave and Gandharva Purohit.

Featured Image: Chalo Bus on Atal Setu by Shubham Padve (used with permission)

To know more about how the Chalo Bus operates and how to book tickets, do read Gandharva’s article: A Review Of BEST’s Chalo Bus On Day One

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Put On Your Creative Hats For #RoadSafetyMonth

Hi there, sorry for not being too active here. There are some issues with the blog and a few posts that have been published are not visible because, well, let us not get into it.

Anyway, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) of the Government of India is observing 15 January to 14 February 2024 as Road Safety Month. As part of this, MoRTH and various other agencies, Central, State, Civic and Private are running a slew of activities to raise awareness on Road Safety.

Among these, the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety (CoERS), at IIT Madras, headed by Professor Venkatesh Balasubramanian has organised a series of events. Two of these events were local – a flashmob at Phoenix MarketCity, Velachery and a 5K run within the serene IIT campus – while the remaining three are pan-India events that are open to participation till 29 February 2024.

The first among these is the Road Safety Essay Challenge. This is open to all school students in classes 6 to 10 across India. You have to write a 500 word essay with the theme Steering Towards Safety: My Vision for Safer Roads.

The second is the Road Safety Photography Competition. This is open to all Indians. There are three themes that participants can choose, namely My Life, My Safety; Commit to Safe Transit; and Capturing Safer Infrastructure. You can submit photographs that are unedited and have been clicked in the last six months.

The third one is the Short Film Making Competition. This too is open to all residents of India. The theme is Road Safety by Young Actors. The film duration can be between 5 and 10 minutes, and can be in any Indian language with English subtitles.

All three competitions have prizes for the winners so do take part in them.

Do visit the official page on CoERS’ website to know the complete details and submission guidelines as well as the submission forms. The link is :
Road Safety Month organised by the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety, RBG Labs, IIT Madras

You can also watch Professor Venkatesh Balasubramanian talk on why raising awareness on road safety is important:

That’s all from me for this time. Till then, let’s make our roads safer. Stay safe, and happy traveling. Let’s raise awareness so that we’re #SaferTogether

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Return Of The King: BEST Launches Electric Double Decker on Andheri-SEEPZ Route

Bringing cheer to commuters in Andheri (East), the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking launched its second electric double decker route in the suburbs on A-415 connecting Agarkar Chowk (Andheri Railway Station East) to SEEPZ.

This densely populated route was earlier served by double decker 415 prior to the old fleet being scrapped. For a long time, the only AC bus between Agarkar Chowk and SEEPZ was BEST’s AS-422 that went up to Mulund Check Naka. In late 2016, when BEST was experimenting with its fares, it launched AS-415 (using the Cerita fleet) that mirror the regular 415 and was a sleeper hit. Subsequently, BEST ran its Tata Starbus Hybrid fleet as BKC-16 on this route.

This was one of the most important corridors for double deckers, hence they remained mostly with Majas Depot, except towards the end when they were transferred to the Marol Depot. The new electric buses operate out of the Kurla Depot as charging infrastructure isn’t in place at Marol or Majas yet. Double Deckers in the suburbs currently operate out of either Kurla, Dharavi or Kalakilla Depots.

Futher, the Metro line (Mumbai Metro 1/Blue Line/Reliance Metro) was also built keeping in mind the height requirement for double decker buses underneath it. Judging by the success, I’m guessing BEST did not run into (quite literally) any of the height issues that A-310 is currently facing at the Nehru Nagar junction atop the Santacruz Chembur Link Road.

BEST’s third AC double decker in the suburbs meanwhile runs on route A-332. This route connects Agarkar Chowk to Kurla Depot and travels via Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road till Saki Naka where it takes a turn onto Andheri-Kurla Road via Jari Mari. This journey should be interesting since amid the top-angled view of all the slums en route, once would also get to witness magnificent landings and take-offs at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. However, the bus did run into the same height issue as A310 due to which it has been truncated at Kurla Depot instead of Kurla Railway Station (West).

A-415 meanwhile has run into its own set of controversy, over standees on the bus. Reportedly, as per the rules laid out by the Regional Transport Office (RTO), standees are not allowed on the upper deck of a double decker. While I personally do remember seeing standees on the upper deck of a bus, that was nearly two decades ago when 266 from Andheri Station (West) to Swami Samarth Nagar (Extension) had double deckers. A notice near the rear of the bus, printed on paper has been posted, prohibiting standees on both decks with conductors refusing to board more passengers if all seats are occupied. This has understandably irked people, with some asking if the new buses were delicate.

Let’s hope BEST is able to sort out its issues quickly and bring back normalcy on the city’s roads.

Featured Image: Two A-415s crossing each other at Chakala Signal (Western Express Highway Metro Station on Blue Line 1 and Gundavali on Red Line 7). Picture via Sahil Pednekar on Twitter.

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BEST Launches AC Double-Deckers on Bandra-Kurla Route, Runs Into Trouble Due To Height Issues

Giving commuters in the suburbs a reason to cheer, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking finally launched its much anticipated electric Double Decker fleet of Switch EiV 22 buses on route 310 (A-310) between Bandra Railway Station (East) and Kurla Railway Station (West) via the Bandra Kurla Complex. This sector was earlier services by the regular double-deckers on Route 310.

However, a slight snag affected the services resulting in several changes. The height of the old buses stood at 4.38m while the height of the new bus stands at 4.75m. This is problematic since all buses bound for Kurla Railway Station (West) have to take a U-turn under the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road’s double-decker flyover to reach the station.

BEST has decided to truncate the double deckers’ route at the MTNL Telephone Exchange while regular single-decker buses will continue on till Kurla. This height issue is expected to affect other routes as well, such as 313 between Santacruz Bus Station and Kurla Railway Station (West) and 332 between Agarkar Chowk (Andheri Station East) and Kurla Railway Station (West).

Interestingly, Mumbai’s suburban railway network hit a similar snag in 2016. When the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai sent the first AC train prototype, it was found to be 4.335m tall as opposed to the maximum permissible height of 4.25m due to several low-lying older bridges on the Central Railway line.

What will BEST do to solve this issue? That remains to be seen.

Update: It seems BEST has asked for a traffic signal to be installed at the junction of SCLR and SG Barve Marg so buses can directly take a right turn towards Kurla Station. This could potentially be problematic as the entire stretch of the road from the Eastern Express Highway to the Western Express Highway is being made signal-free. A signal earlier existed here when SCLR first opened up in 2014. It was a bottleneck as the junction also housed a water tank and pump-house on the median. This was later relocated in 2015 and the junction shut.

Prior to the construction of the SCLR towards the East of this junction, the original SG Barve Marg traveled from Kurla Depot signal on LBS Marg and turned towards Kurla Station. A flyover was built over LBS Marg between 2007 and 2012 and the road was re-aligned towards Kurla East, thus turning SG Barve Marg into a branch road.

In case you are wondering how buses access Kurla Railway Station (West) from Kurla West, here is a video by Gandharva Purohit that shows exactly how it works.

Featured Image: BEST Double Decker taking a U-turn under SCLR towards Kurla (Dharam Tiwari, via Twitter)

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Farewell! Mumbai-Based Busfans Book Double Decker And Plan Special Run

Serving Mumbai for 86 years, the conventional Double Decker buses will be replaced with Electric AC Double Decker buses. Bus enthusiasts hired a Double Decker and took it on a special trip exploring Mumbai.

Double Decker buses have always been close to the heart of all of us. The diesel-powered Double Decker buses operated by the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking in Mumbai would go off the roads after completing their shelf life of 15 years, in the next two months. Built by Antony Coach Builders in 2008, there were 50 such Bharat Stage 3 (BS-3) double decker buses manufactured. As of early August 2023, only 10 such Double Decker buses are left in service with BEST. To bid farewell to the beloved double decker, busfans from Mumbai came together, hired a bus from Dharavi Depot, and planned a special run covering the popular sightseeing locations of Mumbai. You can watch a video about this day (in Marathi) as well.

The planning began with limited people, ensuring everything was done in a well-disciplined manner. Responsibility for route planning, bus booking, ordering a special cake, snacks to be carried along and decorations for the bus was evenly split among the core members and 8 July 2023 was the finalised date for this special run. The core members reached Dharavi Depot well in advance but had to wait for two hours since the bus was plying on route in the morning and had not returned yet. The double decker finally arrived at around noon and was immediately sent for washing. We finally got to see our 4037/DH, the last remaining double decker of the Dharavi Depot with traditional roller blinds at quarter past noon. With limited time in hand, the decorations were to be done in merely 10-15 minutes to avoid further delay. Meanwhile, other group members were waiting for over an hour with a special cake ready with them. The cake featuring 4037/DH was cut by the depot staff and after completing the rituals, we commenced our journey to explore the heart of Mumbai.

Special Cake with the picture of 4037/DH on it that was cut by BEST Staff. (Photo: Gandharva Purohit)
Special Cake with the picture of 4037/DH on it that was cut by BEST Staff. (Photo: Gandharva Purohit)

Our first stage was crossing the Bandra Worli Sea Link. Opened for traffic in June 2009, only open-deck double-decker buses (of BEST plying on Heritage special runs) have crossed the bridge so far. We happened to be the first to travel onboard a double decker bus on the Sea Link. In Worli, we took our first halt at Nehru Planetarium and spent nearly 30 to 45 minutes for a good photoshoot. Our fellow member Azharuddin Kazi felicitated the working crew with a shawl and a coconut. A group picture with the special banner was clicked with our double decker bus. We also got a chance to look in the driver cabin and each member patiently waited for their turn. After having our refreshments, the journey resumed towards Haji Ali and then to Tardeo Bus Station. At Tardeo, our gigantic double decker bus was parked right beside Deonar Depot’s BS6 AC midi bus waiting to start back on route A92 to Anushakti Nagar. During this halt, we got to explore the destination boards. 4037/DH being the last double decker bus with old-school roller blinds, it was a “now or never” opportunity. After exploring the destinations, we once again set the Scroll to SPECIAL: RESERVED and proceeded ahead.

Decorated Double Decker Bus at Nehru Planetarium (Photo: Gandharva Purohit)
Decorated Double Decker Bus at Nehru Planetarium (Photo: Gandharva Purohit)

The bus then passed through Nana Chowk (Grant Road) towards Girgaon Chowpatty. Due to time constraints, we did not take a halt at the beach and continued south on the Queen’s Necklace (Marine Drive). The Meteorological Department had issued a yellow alert for the weekend but we didn’t face any issues as the rains took a break. It was cloudy on one side and sunny on the other. Our bus passed during high tide when the sea waves were directly hitting Marine Drive, beyond the Tetrapods. After a left from Air India Building, we continued our journey towards the Gateway of India via Mantralaya and Dr Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk (Museum). At Gateway, a rare coincidence was about to happen for which, four busfans among us were ready with their cameras. The electric double decker bus of the Colaba Depot on the Heritage sightseeing route was halted outside Gateway as we made our way through the traffic. Four busfans alighted and sprinted ahead to take the money shot. An aligned halt for merely five seconds turned their efforts fruitful. We got both the diesel and electric double decker sharing a frame for one last time.

BEST's BS-3 Ashok Leyland Diesel Double Decker and Switch EiV22 Electric Double Decker next to each other. (Photo: Aditya Kelkar)
BEST’s BS-3 Ashok Leyland Diesel Double Decker and Switch EiV22 Electric Double Decker next to each other. (Photo: Aditya Kelkar)

After returning to Colaba Causeway via Taj Hotel, we commenced our return journey. From Museum, we continued towards Old Customs House and took Mint Road to GPO. Since BEST did not allow us to take the Eastern Freeway and JJ Flyover, we continued through the slow-moving traffic of Mohammed Ali Road. After a gap of two years, a double decker bus passed through here. As the restrictions post-lockdown were getting eased back in July 2020, a majority of passengers were dependent on bus travel. The double decker buses did help in increasing the passenger carrying capacity for BEST. Special Services were operated using double decker buses from Backbay and Colaba to Khodadad Circle (Dadar TT). However, a decrease in the overall bus fleet resulted in the discontinuation of these special services.

We took the flyover from Parel, thereby escaping the traffic congestion of Madkebuwa Chowk, Hindmata Cinema and Dadar TT. From Matunga, we switched back to the slow lane. The height barrier located below the King’s Circle railway station is quite infamous for numerous heavy vehicle accidents. Back in 2020, I had a doubt in mind whether the double decker services running between Colaba and Dadar post lockdown were not extended up to Sion due to this. But my doubts were cleared, once we passed under the height barrier, safe and sound.

After a ride through Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, we arrived at Rani Laxmibai Chowk for another halt. Our arrival grabbed everyone’s attention as it was again the gap of two years since a double decker bus arrived inside Sion bus station. In August 2020, two double decker buses from Dharavi Depot were deployed on route C42Express between Sion and Mulund. Maintaining a frequency of 30 minutes, double decker buses helped clear the excessive rush on the Eastern Express Highway through C42Express and Western Express Highway through route 440 from Wadala to Borivali.

After a brief halt at Sion, we proceeded towards the final leg of our journey back to Dharavi Depot. Everyone among us felt “This journey should go on as long as possible” but “all good things must come to an end”. Since nothing lasts forever, this journey too was supposed to end at some point in time. Those 10 minutes from Sion to Dharavi felt as if the time slowed down for a moment. The unforgettable memories with the double decker bus flashed in front of us while the bus was nearing its home. It was painful to leave but we all summoned the courage to bid adieu to our Non-AC Double Decker Bus and call it a day.

Special Thanks to Sahil Pusalkar, Rupak Dhakate, Azharuddin Kazi and Sumedh Tambe for planning this special event.

Featured Image: A group picture with the Double Decker at Sion Bus Station (Photo: Prathamesh Prabhu)

Also Read:

A Classic Double Decker Has Been Saved From Scrap, Will Now Be Preserved

Rebirth Of An Icon! Mumbai Gets Hope With Brand New Electric Double-Decker Bus

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PM e-Bus Sewa Is Here; 10,000 Electric Buses To Be Deployed On PPP Model Across India

In what can only be considered a big boost for public transport, clean air and people’s pockets, the Cabinet approved the PM e-Bus Sewa on 16 August 2023.

Under this scheme, the Centre plans to deploy 10,000 electric buses across the country. According to the release on the Press Information Bureau, the buses will be deployed under the public-private partnership (PPP) model across 169 cities while the infrastructure will be upgraded in 181 cities under Green Urban Mobility Initiatives (GUMI). The estimated cost of the PM e-Bus Sewa is expected to be ₹57,613 crore and is expected to generate over 45,000 direct jobs.

All cities with a population above three lakh (as per the 2011 census) along with the capital cities of Union Territories, Northeastern region and the hill states will be covered with priority being given to those cities that currently do not have an organised bus service.

The programme is divided into two segments:

Segment A involves augmenting city bus services in 169 cities along with providing support for the associated infrastructure, upgradation of depots, establishment of substations, etc.

Segment B will cover GUMI across 181 cities. Here, initiatives such as bus priority, multimodal transit, NCMC-based payment systems, and charging infrastructure will be provided.

States, cities and the parastatals will be responsible for making payments to the private operators while the Centre will provide subsidies to the extent provided under the scheme.

This scheme is great news for India as it will impact not just public transport, but a lot of things. For starters, it will give a huge fillip to the manufacturing and the supply-chain ecosystem of buses, their components, and behind-the-meter infrastructure. The increased availability of buses will also change how people perceive commuting and how they actually commute.

One good news that merged right away was Volvo’s entry into the electric bus segment in India. Volvo India stated that it would consider entering the sector under either the Volvo or Eicher brand.

While the government has done a lot in improving the electricity supply system with an increase in renewable energy including solar, wind and even hydel power, it needs to scale up on nuclear power.

Do read this article written by me for Swarajya in 2018: India Needs An Electric-Vehicle Policy; Here’s How It Can Go About It. The government seems to be doing what I had proposed five years ago.

Also, do read Aashish Chandorkar’s article from 2016, on How Indian Cities Can Shift From Diesel To Electric Buses for it explains economies of scale very well.

The shift from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM, with a jurm of a logo) to the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) to Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) to now PM e-Bus Sewa has been quite fantastic.

Featured Image: Image by macrovector on Freepik

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Spotted: Open Deck Switch Double Decker On Trials In Chennai

In an interesting development, an open-deck doubled-decker bus manufactured by Ashok Leyland’s Switch Mobility was spotted near Marina Beach in Chennai.

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) had announced that it was considering bringing back double-deckers on the city’s roads in July 2023. Double Deckers were originally introduced in the 1970s and ran on the High Court (Broadway) to Tambaram Route (most likely 21G) but wound up soon due to poor patronage. The Institute of Road Transport, Chennai (IRT) which is responsible for procuring buses in the state has begun the process of looking at different options.

It was reported that these buses would likely run on the Marina, which is where trials were conducted.

The bus seems to be an open-deck variant of Switch Mobility’s EiV22 that is currently in service in Mumbai and Hyderabad. Only Hyderabad, however has the open-deck variant in service, although it looks vastly different from the one that was seen in Chennai. Given that Switch is rapidly making changes to its models based on commuter feedback, this could be due to that. You can read more about the double-deckers in Hyderabad here: Double Decker Buses Return To Hyderabad After Two Decades, City Of Pearls Becomes First To Launch Electric Version

You can read a full-fledged review of the Switch Electric Double-Decker here: Rebirth Of An Icon! Mumbai Gets Hope With Brand New Electric Double-Decker Bus

Chennai is currently among the few metro cities in India without any electric buses. At the same time, after the Volvo fleet was scrapped, the new Ashok Leyland fleet is a fledgling and not enough for the city. You can read a review of these buses here: A Quick Review Of MTC’s AC Buses

Featured Image: Screengrab of the Switch Double Decker from Sun News’ Twitter

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Grand Exhibition Of BEST’s Antique And Operation Development Systems At BEST Museum In August

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is organising a grand exhibition of its antique and operation-development systems at its Museum. The exhibition will be held from Saturday 5 August to Monday 7 August 2023 at the BEST Undertaking’s Museum located on the third floor of the administrative block at the Anik Depot.

Entry will be free to all and special buses will be pressed into service from Rani Lakshmi Chowk (Sion) Bus Station and Kurla (East) Bus Station to Anik Depot.

The exhibition will be held to commerate the 76th anniversary of the merger of BEST under the Birhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC/MCGM) with the Bandra Bus Company, then under the Bandra Municipal Committee in 1949.

BEST's notice on the Grand Exhibition
BEST’s notice on the Grand Exhibition

Special thanks to Shubham Padave for sharing this. That’s all from me for this time. Do take some time out over the weekend and checkout a part of Mumbai’s heritage.

Featured Image: BEST Museum’s entrance board (Ketaki Rangnekar/Google Maps)

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