Author: Srikanth

BEST? Bus! Vroom, *pulls bellpull* Hi, I'm Srikanth. I'm a freelance media fellow with a fascination for buses, toll plazas, fire trucks and drones.

A List Of All The AC Buses Currently Operating In Mumbai

BEST is launching newer AC buses with each week. Here is a list of all the AC buses that they operate.

Regular Routes: Mini/Midi buses using Force Motors/ Tata Marcopolo CNG/BYD Olectra buses

A-4 Andheri Station (West) to Oshiwara Depot/Goregaon Depot
A-3 Vijay Vallabh Chowk (Pydhonie) to Jijamata Udyan via Johar Chowk, Mazgaon, Byculla Station (East)
A-32 Goregaon Bus Station (West) to Aai Tuljabhavai Chowk/Lokhandwala Complex Junction/Infiniti Mall
A-33 Seven Bunglows Bus Station/Saat Bangla to Oshiwara/Goregaon Depot
A-42 Sandhurst Road Station to Pandit Paluskar Chowk (Opera House) via S.V.P Road
A-63 Byculla Station (West) to Breach Candy Hospital
A-77 Byculla Station (West) to Breach Candy Hospital via Mahalaksmi Station, Haji Ali
A-101 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk/Museum
A-102 Grant Road Station (East) to Vijay Vallabh Chowk (Pydhonie)
A-104 Grant Road Station to J Mehta Marg
A-105 Grant Road Station (West) to Kamala Nehru Park
A-110 Wadala Station (West) to Sangam Nagar (Vidyalankar)
A-111 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk/Museum
A-112 Churchgate Station/Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk to Gateway of India
A-122 Churchgate Station/Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk to Ballard Pier
A-153 Bycull Station (West) to Vasantrao Naik Chowk (Tardeo) via Saat Rasta, Mumbai Central
A-155 Grant Road Station (West) Ring Route via Tardeo, Haji Ali, Jaslok Hospital Cumbala Hill Post Office, August Kranti Maidan, Nana Chowk
A-157 Grant Road Station (West) to Cumbala Hill Post Office via August Kranti Maidan
A-163 Parel Station (East) to Prabodhankar Thackeray Udyan Bus Station (Sewree)
A-167 Prabhadevi Station (West) to Comrade P. K. Kurne Chowk/Worli Doordarshan
A-170 Prabhadevi Station (West) to Lower Parel Railway Station (West)
A-174 Wadala Station (East) to Bharani Naka
A-180 Oshiwara Depot/Goegaon Depot to Jogeshwari Bus Station
A-203 Andheri Station (West) to Juhu Bus Station
A-210 Versova Yari Road Bus Station to Monginis
A-211 Bandra Station (West) to Chuim Village
A-214 Bandra Station (West) to Mount Mary Steps
A-217 Dadar Station (East) Ring Route via KEM Hospital
A-217 Dadar Station (East) to KEM Hospital
A-219 Bandra Station (West) to Bandra Reclamation Bus Station
A-220 Bandra Station (West) to Sherly Village
A-221 Andehri Station (West) to Natasha Towers
A-234 Jogeshwari Bus Station to Shree Swami Samarth Nagar
A-235 Andheri Station (West) to Monginis
A-248 Andheri Station (West) to Ramesh Nagar
A-249 Andheri Station (West) to Seven Bunglows Bus Station
A-251 Seven Bunglows Bus Station to Versova Yari Road Bus Station
A-252 Andheri Station (West) to Sardar Vallabhai Patel Nagar (Mhada Layout)
A-254 Andheri Station (West) to Veera Desai Road (Extension)
A-257 Andheri Station (West) Ring Route via Juhu Vile Parle Bus Station (JVPD Bus Station)
A-260 Oshiwara Depot to Indian Oil Nagar (D. N. Nagar Metro Station)
A-266 Andheri Station (West) to Swami Samarth Nagar Circle
A-268 Andheri Station (West) to Shree Swami Samarth Nagar
A-273 Malad Station (West) to Malvani Block No 5
A-302 Rani Lakshmi Chowk (Sion) to Maharana Pratap Chowk/Mulund Check Naka
A-312 Rani Lakhsmi Chowk (Sion) to Pratiksha Nagar Depot
A-337 Agarkar Chowk to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Terminal 2
A-338 Agarkar Chowk to Sahar Cargo Complex
A-341 Rani Laksmi Chowk (Sion) to Antop Hill Bus Station
A-352 Rani Lakshmi Chowk (Sion) to Trombay
A-361 Chembur Colony to Mahul Village via Vashi Naka
A-362 Deonar Depot to Kurla Station (East)
A-363 Chembur Colony to SRA Colony (Mahul)
A-367 Chembur Colony to Gadkari Quary
A-369 Chembur Colony to MMRDA Colony/Vashi Naka
A-372 Anushakti Nagar to Shivaji Nagar Junction
A-441 Agarkar Chowk to Mhada Colony (Majas)
A-447 Goregaon Station (East) to Santosh Nagar (Extension)
A-451 Goregaon Station (East) to Adarsh Nagar (Aarey)
A-452 Goregaon Station (East) to Mayur Nagar
A-481 Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyan, Chembur to MMRDA Colony, Vashi Naka
A-624 Malad Station (East) Poddar Park to Anand Nagar/Appa Pada
A-646 Goregaon Station (East) to Nagari Niwara 1&2 via IT Park

BKC Routes: MMRConnect Buses using Tata Starbus Hybrid buses

BKC-10 BKC Telephone Exchange to Borivali Railway Station (East)
BKC-11 Bandra Railway Termninus to Hiranandani Estate (Thane West)
BKC-12 Bandra Railway Terminus To Jalvayu Vihar (Kharghar)
BKC-13 Bandra Railway Terminus to Maharana Pratap Chowk/Mulund Check Naka Bus Station
BKC-16 Agarkar Chowk to SEEPZ Village
BKC-21 Bandra (East) Bus Station to Bharat Diamond Bourse
BKC-22 MMRDA Pay and Park (BKC) to Kurla Station (West)
BKC-23 Bandra (East) Bus Station to C.A Institute (BKC)

NMMT AC Buses (only those entering Mumbai city limits)

AC-103 Panvel Railway Station (West) to Hindamata Cinema (Dadar)
AC-105 Bandra Railway Station (West) to CBD Belapur Bus Station
AC-107 World Trade Centre to CBD Belapur Bus Station (via Eastern Freeway)
AC-108 World Trade Centre to Nerul Sector 46/48
AC-110 World Trade Centre to Jalvayu Vihar (Kharghar)
AC-111 World Trade Centre to CBD Belapur Bus Station (via Parel, Dadar)
AC-115 World Trade Centre to Kharkopar Railway Station
AC-121 World Trade Centre to Gansoli/Gharona
AC-123 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Owe Gaon/CISF
AC-124 Agarkar Chowk to Karave Nagar, Nerul
AC-125 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Asud Depot
AC-126 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Panvel Railway Station (West)
AC-127 Ghatkopar Station (East) to Vashi Railway Station
AC-131 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Ghansoli Depot

TMT AC Buses (only those entering Mumbai city limits)

AC-65 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Thane Station (East)/Kopri
AC-125 Agarkar Chowk to Kasarvadavali Naka
AC-126 Reserve Bank of India (BKC) to Hiranandani Estate (Patlipada)
AC-144 Cadbury Junction to Mantralaya

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Featured Image: Tri-Services at Chakala (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/Twitter)

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Four Months After The West, Andheri East Finally Gets On To The Mini-Bus Network

Four months after BEST began A-251 at Andheri Station (West), it finally began services in Andheri (East). BEST announced three routes A-337, A-338 and A-441 from Agarkar Chowk on 9 March.

A-337 connects Agarkar Chowk to Terminal 2 (Sahar Terminal) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). It mirrors the regular 337 that goes along the same route. This marks a return of BEST’s AC buses to the international terminal. The last bus was A-1 Express using the Purple Faeries than ran from CBD Belapur Bus Station in Navi Mumbai to the airport nearly a decade ago.

The second AC bus being run is A-338. This mirrors the regular 338 between Agarkar Chowk and Sahar Cargo Complex.

The third bus that BEST launched is A-441. This runs from Agarkar Chowk to Mhada Colony (Majas). It partly mirrors 441 which runs from Agarkar Chowk till Majas Depot, five stops more. The reason it doesn’t run up to Majas Depot is because that fall under the next fare zone and as I had explained in an earlier post, BEST is currently only looking at single-fare stage operations right now.

Among these three, A-441 will be a significant one since it connects towards Majas and traverses Nagardas Road. Perhaps BEST can launch AC services from Jogeshwari Station (East) or Satbhakti Mandir since that falls under the тВ╣6 fare zone.

Here are some pictures from Twitter user Akshay Marathe (note; Akshay Marathe, the transport enthusiast is not to be confused with another Akshay Marathe who is an Aam Aadmi Party member) and Shubham Padave.

While this is a good start, both Akshay and I agree that these mini-buses are not the best for Andheri East, larger buses are needed. BEST is as of now still operating BKC-16 as an air-conditioned version of 415 from Agarkar Chowk to SEEPZ Village using the Tata Starbus Hybrid Fleet. It operates with conductors.

With this launch, there are now four AC bus routes from Agarkar Chowk operating in three directions from the region. BKC-16 operates along Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road/Andheri Kurla Road/Sir Mathurdas Vasanji Road till Chakala after which it turns towards Mahakali Caves Road/MIDC/SEEPZ. A-337 and A-338 operate along Sahar Road. A-441 goes towards Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road.

The postvans used in Andheri (East) are leased from Hansa City Bus (HCB) belonging to the Marol Depot. HCB is also the lessor for buses operating in Andheri (West), Jogeshwari (West) and Goregaon (East) with buses belonging to the Oshiwara and Dindoshi Depots. I’ve earlier noticed several buses in Andheri (West) operate using buses from the Marol Depot. Strangely, BEST’s A-32 that operates from Goregaon Bus Station (West) to Infinity Mall (Lokhandwala) also uses buses from the Marol Depot.

I also took a mini at Bandra (West) last week. Those are a bit confusing because the routes A-211, A-214, A-219 and A-220 are confusing. BEST has also stopped using the Hybrid fleet on AS-220. The buses are operated by MP Enterprises and Associates (MPG) out of the Bandra Depot.

Just to remind you, this is what the Tata Hybrid fleet looks like:

BEST's Tata Starbus Diesel-Electic Hybrid Bus of the Dharavi Depot on Route A-72 at Salvation Church (Karthik nadar/Twitter)
BEST’s Tata Starbus Diesel-Electic Hybrid Bus of the Dharavi Depot on Route A-72 at Salvation Church (Karthik nadar/Twitter)

Also Read тАУ BEST Is Doing Better: How Mumbai Is On A Mission To Provide Improved Public Transport on IndiaInfraHub.

This post is dedicated to Nirav Kanodra with whom I’ve had numerous discussions on best solving transit issues. You can follow Nirav on Twitter @niravstoons.

Featured image: Flex-board announcing A-441 (Shubham Padave/Twitter)

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BEST Has Been Experimenting With Conductorless Buses On Non-AC Routes

BEST, which had announced conductorless buses as far back as 2015, has been rather successful at operating conductorless buses with their new AC minibus fleet.

However, one thing seems to have gone unnoticed is that BEST has been trying out its conductor-less buses with it’s non-AC fleet as well. Among the routes known are 477 from Borivali Railway Compound (East) to Rushi Van, 248 from Andheri Station (West) to Ramesh Nagar and 298 from Borivali Railway Station (East) to Raval Pada. The buses used in these are BEST’s CNG-powered Midi-bus fleet with their rear door closed.

A conductorless bus on route 477. Image: Yash Mhadgut/Twitter.
A conductorless bus on route 477. Image: Yash Mhadgut/Twitter.

Now, according to Yash, who shared this image on Twitter, this is used on routes where the number of stops are very few. In his tweet, he says that 2/3 of the buses on 298 are conductorless, which is a bad move. He says that major passenger flow is in peak direction (towards station in the mornings and from station in the evenings) and there are people boarding and disembarking at all stops. Skipping stops isn’t ideal as well, he argues, stating that there are a sum total of seven buses on the route.

I’m inclined to agree here. What are your thoughts?

Are conductor-less buses feasible on every route?

Featured image: A bus conductor waiting for an AC conductor-less bus at Mahalakshmi Station

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Reviving The Monorail

In 1993, an episode of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons spoke of how the town of Springfield, flush with money decided to go in for a Monorail only for it to end in disaster due to shoddy work and cutting corners.

A quarter century later, Mumbai seems to be on the same path. The 19.5 km long Monorail carries less than 50,000 daily passengers after burning тВ╣3,000 crore, a very sad number, especially in comparison to the existing line of the Mumbai Metro that ferries nearly 500,000 passengers daily across 10.8km.

While there are several reasons behind the low patronage, there is a common link between all of them тАУ the rolling stock supplied by Scomi.

To give a quick recap; operations on the Monorail began in early 2014 across a 9km stretch with four trains of four coaches each. A fire in November 2017 caused the entire system to remain shut till September 2018 following which it reopened. Subsequently, the rest of the line opened in early 2019, exactly five years after the line first opened. However, the remaining of ten trains never arrived due to financial troubles that the Malaysian manufacturer is facing. Consequently, MMRDA cancelled the tender in late 2018 and began the process of retendering. As a result, the frequency of services on the corridor is abysmal. Trains from Chembur to Wadala depart with a gap of 45 minutes.

The Monorail was initially operated by a joint venture between Scomi and L&T тАУ who built the infrastructure тАУ which was cancelled eventually. The MMRDA now plans to operate the line under the newly formed Mumbai Metro Operations Corporation (MMOCL) that will operate the upcoming elevated metro system. It had opened tenders for operations as well, receiving only one bid from Reliance Infra that currently operates the Metro. As a result of this, Mumbai today faces the prospect of staring at a major white elephant in the form of the Monorail.

Unlike Metro rail, Monorails are relatively more proprietary in nature, and not too standardised. Thus, it is difficult to get trains manufactured by other manufacturers to work on an existing system. For instance, BombardierтАЩs monorail trainsets feature a different straddle width that makes it completely inoperable in Mumbai. Hitachi meanwhile has three models, one of which has the same dimensions as the Scomi SUTRA currently operational. MMRDAтАЩs tender received only two bids тАУ ChinaтАЩs CRRC Changchun Vehicles that supplied rolling stock to the Chongqing Monorail and again, ChinaтАЩs BYD whose BYD Skyrail that is yet to be operational anywhere. BYD currently is the worldтАЩs largest electric bus manufacturer, with a significant presence in India through a joint venture with Hyderabad-based Olcetra (formerly Goldstone).

What might be a stumbling block right now is the Union Urban Development MinistryтАЩs Make In India norms that mandate that 75 per cent of coaches for metro rail be sourced domestically. While it is unclear if these norms will extend to monorail technology, it would be better for the MMRDA to find a workaround. While CRRC was looking to set up a manufacturing unit in Maharashtra to supply trains to Nagpur, BYD already has a local partner in Olectra, through which the trains could be manufactured. Another route that could be looked at is through the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Mahametro) that recently gave an order for metro trains to Titagarh Firema, an Italian subsidiary of Titagarh Wagons. While Titagarh Firema would manufacture 25 per cent of the trains at the Firema plant in Italy, the rest would be made in Nagpur, at MahametroтАЩs facility before making their way to Pune. MMRDA could tie up with Mahametro and have either of the two firms build it domestically.

As far as operations as concerned, the MMRDA should look to MMOCL тАУ which will eventually take over operations тАУ for support. MMOCL has already dispatched a team of engineers to Singapore to have them trained in metro operations. A second plan to augment this with training in Hong Kong was cancelled due to the ongoing protests. Along with this, the corporation has also called for tenders for private operators to operate the upcoming systems, much like how Reliance Infra has subcontracted operations of the Metro. MMOCL could perhaps send a team of engineers to China or Japan to train them, or look at collaborative partnerships to get the system back on track.

Simultaneously, BEST needs to start with Feeder services to Monorail Stations. Monorail Stations, as with Metro Stations need to be treated on par with Railway Stations. While a significant crowd will prefer the rail due to its speed, some of it will prefer the bus due to lower costs. BEST needs to stand between the two.

Whatever the state government chooses to do, it needs to act fast. The Monorail in its current avatar has been avoided тАУ by operators and commuters alike тАУ and that is not good. It needs to be put back on track тАУ literally and figuratively тАУ and made into a viable rapid transit system, for it has the potential. The image that the Monorail currently has needs to be overhauled entirely and once this has been done, it could potentially be extended, and potential new lines could be built, in Mumbai or otherwise.

Also Read: What Ails The Mumbai Monorail And How Can We Fix It?

Featured Image Credits: Karthik Nadar

If you intend to step out please wear a mask, carry sanitizer and maintain social distancing.

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Can You Spot The Difference?

In all my recent posts, I’ve been referring to BEST’s new fleet of mini-buses as Postvans. The reason is simple. They look like India Post’s red post vans. In fact, at Andheri West, the Andheri Railway Station Post Office is located on SV Road, next to the junction with JP Road. It is not uncommon to see postal vans parked outside McDonalds where the bus stop is located. I once stood next a post van without realising that it was a post van and not an A-257.

Yesterday, I spotted two vehicles back to back and took a quick video of it. Now you’ll see what I mean.

Barring the windows, they’re pretty identical and its easy to confuse them. Right?

Naturally, this being Twitter, it spawned off a set of hilarious conversations.

Back in 2015, a friend of mine had nicknamed the old Cerita fleet ‘Purple Duds’. For some reason, I nicknamed them ‘Purple Faeries’. In case you’re wondering, those buses weren’t faeries at all. Note; faerie is an old, archaic spelling of fairy. They were clunky, noisy, monstrosities. But the name stuck.

A quick Google search for Purple Faeries Mumbai will throw up image results for the BEST Cerita fleet and other images from this blog. Make sure you select “Search for Purple Faeries” since Google will try searching for “Purple Fairies“.

That’s all from me this time.

Is it a bus? Or is it a postvan?

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Explained: Why There Is No Direct AC Bus From Versova-Yari Road To Andheri Station

On 16 November 2019, BEST launched the first of what would be a super successful venture that was replicated across the city. It launched the first AC minibus (them postvans, aka chhotu in some circles) without a conductor, on Route A-251 from Andheri Station (West) to Seven Bungalows Bus Station.

The route was a big hit, prompting BEST to launch a slew of similar routes in Andheri (West) before gradually expanding to Jogeshwari (West), Goregaon (East), Wadala (West), Dadar (East), Prabhadevi (West), Churchgate, Byculla (West), Mahalaksmi, Grant Road (West) and ultimately Goregaon (West). It also antagonised auto-rickshaws at Andheri because, well, it was cheap.

Shortly after that BEST launched A-249. It was identical to A-251 in its route, and had the same single stop at Four Bungalows. I even asked BEST what the difference was on Twitter, but got no response.

Then, on 6 December 2019, BEST announced that A-249 will have an additional stop at Dhake Colony while A-251 will only run between Seven Bungalows Bus Station [Saat Bangla] and Versova-Yari Road Bus Station [Vesave-Yari Marg].

This startled many. My transit group wondered why BEST couldn’t run A-251 directly from Versova-Yari Road to Andheri. I had my suspicions but they were finally confirmed today.

The distance between the two, by the direct route: Versova-Yari Road Bus Station -> Versova Village -> Seven Bungalows -> Four Bungalows -> Andheri Sports Complex -> Amboli Village -> Andheri Subway -> Andheri Station is 6.3km while in the reverse direction it is 5.8km.

Note: Despite what Google Maps says, JP Road from Navarang Cinema to SV Road has been a one-way towards the West for over two decades now. Even in 1998, I remember 251 (then a Double Decker) taking a left into Amboli.

This distance puts the route into the next stage bracket; i.e: тВ╣13.

Yesterday (11 February 2020), BEST announced a new route A-32 from Goregaon Station (West) to Aai Tuljabhavani Chowk/Lokhandwala Complex Junction (Infiniti Mall signal). I responded to them asking why not extend it to Monginis since that is such a big hub with four AC routes stopping there: A-210, A-235, A-260 and A-268. They responded as follows:

Seems like a fair point right?

That brings us to the first of my solutions.

BEST needs to add an additional AC route in this region. Say, A-250. Neither 250 nor A-250 exist at this point. That gives us four AC buses at Seven Bungalows: A-249, A-251, A-210 and this new route. A-249 can continue on the existing route that it has with two stops between Andheri and Seven Bungalows. The new route can service what A-251 currently does, by plying between Seven Bungalows and Versova Yari Road.

A-251 meanwhile should mirror the regular 251 and ply non-stop between Versova-Yari Road and Andheri Station with a single fare of тВ╣13. That’s it. The auto-fare on this route is in the range of тВ╣70-80 minimum, plus time taken due to traffic. It will be a huge hit.

The second solution, is a slightly more interesting one.

Remember BEST’s AC Volvo buses? I had blogged about them back in 2015. Read: The Curious Case Of BEST And Its AC Buses.

BEST had gotten 6 out of 50 buses as part of a deal with a company called Asian Concierge. While nobody knows why the remaining 44 never made it to BEST nor what happened to Asian Concierge (Tofler reports its last annual general meeting or AGM in September 2018 and last balance sheet as having been prepared in March 2018), those six buses are still parked at the Oshiwara Depot, according to Google Earth. You might want to click on the tweet to see the full image. The buses are the long red-topped ones with a white box, located towards the bottom left of the depot, north of the Oshiwara river.

This map is from 15 October 2019. Google Earth’s timeline view shows that between 2017 and 2019, these six buses were parked at various parts of the depot.

While we are uncertain as to why BEST is not using these buses, it can perhaps ply them as a regular AC bus AS-251 with a conductor from Andheri Station to Versova-Yari Road. Their only issue: They’re all single-door buses. The Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association even asked BEST why they were not in use but we got no reply.

Below is an image of what these buses look like. I had clicked this photo in 2015 outside the World Trade Centre in Cuffe Parade.

Asian Concierge's Volve B7RLE running on BEST's AS-4 between Backbay Depot and Oshiwara Depot in 2015. Image: Srikanth Ramakrishnan/Wikimedia Commons
Asian Concierge’s Volve B7RLE running on BEST’s AS-4 between Backbay Depot and Oshiwara Depot in 2015. Image: Srikanth Ramakrishnan/Wikimedia Commons

They ran on AS-4 from Oshiwara Depot to Backbay Depot and in between these runs, were used as the AC equivalent for BEST ‘s Fort Pheri fleet.

The Volvo fleet being used on Fort Pheri 1 -AC. Image: Superfast1111/Wikimedia Commons
The Volvo fleet being used on Fort Pheri 1 -AC. Image: Superfast1111/Wikimedia Commons

Let’s hope common sense strikes BEST and they something about this.

Also Read: Branded Bus Services.

This post is dedicated to my friend Yash who asked me this question in December and sent me on a quest to find an answer. Do follow Yash on Twitter!

Featured picture: BEST’s A-251 during its initial run in November 2019 at Andheri Station.

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A Mini Review Of Mid-Town Mini-Buses

In the last few blog posts, I covered the suburbs and downtown Mumbai, now I’ll attempt to cover midtown.

BEST has launched A-167 from Prabhadevi Station (West) to Comrade P. K. Kurne Chowk (Doordarshan) via Deepak Cinema, A-170 from Prabhadevi Railway Station (West) to Lower Parel via Senapati Bapat Marg (Tulsi Pipe Road), A-218 from Dadar Station (East) to KEM Hospital via Phalke Road, Hindamata Cinema and Dr. B.A Road.

It also launched A-155 (a ring route) from Grant Road Station via Jaslok Hospital and Nana Chowk. This is downtown and not mid-town route and operates using the Tata Marcopolo midi-buses (owned by SMT ATPL and attached to the Mumbai Central depot) mentioned in the previous post.

Coming back to Dadar and Prabhadevi (formerly Elphinstone Road). All the routes are operated by buses owned by MP Enterprises and Associates (identified by MPG) of the Wadala depot. However the Motor Vehicles Act declaration on the side shows the bus registered to the Bandra Depot.

The bus I took was A-167. I boarded the bus from Prabhadevi Station. While waiting for the bus I noticed that a man was sitting there with a large logbook logging details including passenger count, fuel usage and trip distance from the driver. The trip to Doordarshan was pretty uneventful. The bus only stops at the last two stops before terminating. It did not stop at Bombay Dyeing. On the return journey, it picked up passengers from the same two stops but not at Bombay Dyeing. At P. K. Kurne Chowk, there was a man sitting with a logbook just like at Prabhadevi Station. I have not noticed this at Andheri, Goregaon or down south. Perhaps he was employed by the private agency that owns the buses.

The return journey was where I had an issue. There are two bus shelters at P.K Kurne Chowk. The driver opened the doors at the first stop where the route was not marked and a few of us boarded there. At the second stop, the conductor sold tickets and then let passengers board. However, he did not board the bus to check if all passengers had a ticket, which happens at Andheri.

We bought our tickets after disembarking at Prabhadevi Station. At all the stops, the conductor did not have a ticket machine but instead had a single bundle of тВ╣6 tickets that he punched.

A тВ╣6 punched paper ticket issued by BEST (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)
A тВ╣6 punched paper ticket issued by BEST (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)

There was a ticket examiner at Prabhadevi but he did not check for tickets. This could be problematic in future. The driver should only let passengers board from the designated bus stop and conductors should ensure that all passengers have a ticket before the bus leaves.

Overall, this seems to be a good move. Prabhadevi Station, while served by 167, otherwise lacks decent bus connectivity, forcing passengers to depend on share taxis that are uncomfortable and in bad shape. They charge around тВ╣20 till Bombay Dyeing at least. This bus will be a godsend to a lot of people in the area, especially folks working for Republic TV. Further with the expansion of the Parel-Prabhadevi station complex and the provisioning of the Parel terminus on the Central Line, the station has become a rather important one. Along with Lower Parel, the area has seen major redevelopment of mill lands on both sides, along Senapati Bapat Marg/Tulsi Pipe Road in the West and Dr. BR Ambedkar Road in the East. This will certainly increase footfalls in the region and improved public transport is the need of the hour. Perhaps its time MMRDA got a little aggressive on getting the Monorail back in action.

To close this post, Tata Motors has won a bid to supply 300 AC electric buses to BEST.

Featured image: A-167 at Comrade P. K. Kurne Chowk.

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A Quick Review Of BEST’s Midi-Buses

This last month, I took two trips on two of BEST’s Midi-buses. A Midi-bus, is a slightly larger bus than a mini-bus, a medium-sized bus to be precise. The non-AC equivalent of this is what currently plies on routes such as 627 (from Andheri Bus Station (West) to Mora Village (Juhu)). Below is an example of what it looks like.

A BEST Midi-bus running on 377 from Lallubhai Compound to Kurla Station (East), belonging to the Anik Depot. Photo: Karthik Nadar, Wikimedia Commons.
A BEST Midi-bus running on 377 from Lallubhai Compound to Kurla Station (East), belonging to the Anik Depot. Photo: Karthik Nadar, Wikimedia Commons.

Now, at this juncture, I’d like to state that BEST currently operates four different types of air-conditioned buses, all of which are of different power types. It operates Diesel-powered minibuses manufactured by Force Motors, CNG-powered midibuses manufactured by Tata Marcopolo, electric midibuses manufactured by Olectra (formerly Goldstone; in partnership with BYD) and Diesel-Electric hybrid full length buses manufactured by Tata Motors under the Starbus brand.

I took the Olectra on Route A-302 that operates from Maharana Pratap Chowk (R Mall/Mulund Check Naka Bus Station) to Rani Lakshmi Chowk (Sion Circle). The bus belongs to the Dharavi/Kala Killa depot and is owned by Olectra (identified by OL next to the depot code) on a wet lease. I boarded the bus at Sarvodaya Hospital in Ghatkopar to Sion. I took the Tata Marcopolo on A-77 from Byculla Station (West) to Breach Candy Hospital. The bus belongs to the Mumbai Central depot and belongs to SMT ATPL Associates (identified by SAA next to the depot code), again on a wet lease. I boarded this bus from Mahalakshmi Station (West) to Breach Candy.

BEST's BYD Olectra K7 bus. (Sahil pednekar/Twitter)
BEST’s BYD Olectra K7 bus. (Sahil pednekar/Twitter)

On the outside, both buses are similar in length and have two doors. The Olectra has a Centre door (that is used) while the Tata has a Rear door (rarely used). On the inside however, the Olectra has standard 2×2 seating, while the Tata has 2×1 seating similar to the minibuses. It has 2 seats per row behind the driver and one on the left. Both buses do have a bell pull, on the left side like the regular buses. The Force minibuses have their bellpull on the right side however.

BEST's Tata Marcopolo CNG buses (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)
BEST’s Tata Marcopolo CNG buses (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)

Except on the rows with emergency exits (penultimate seats), both buses have USB charging points inside them. While Olectra has them at the waist level, Tata has them below the seat, much like the charging points in long distance buses.

At this point, I’d like to say, please note: While charging your phones in public spaces, keep phones on flight mode. There are numerous reports of Juice Jacking going around. Juice Jacking reports to using the USB port of your device at an unsecured, public charging point to steal data. Of course, it is reassuring that Mikko Hypp├╢nen of F-Secure said that Juice Jacking is theoretically possible but is never seen practically.

Interior of the Olectra (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)
Interior of the Olectra (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)

The air-conditioning on the Tata is far ahead of the Olectra. At some point between Ghatkopar and Sion, it became stuffy inside the Olectra and that is not a good sign at all.

The interior of the Tata Marcopolo CNG (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)
The interior of the Tata Marcopolo CNG (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)

BEST has also launched the Olectra on A-352D. Non-AC versions of the Olectra also operate on 302 that shares the same route as A-302. The Tata CNG also operates on A-155 from Grant Road Station (West) as a Ring Route via Tardeo, Haji Ali, Jaslok Hospital, Cumbala Hill Post Office, August Kranti Maidan and Nana Chowk.

BEST also launched A-218 from Dadar Station (East) to KEM Hospital via Phalke Road, Hindmata Cinema on Dr B. R. Ambedkar Road. Presumably this belongs to the Wadala Depot. I also took a ride on A-112 from Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk/Churchgate Railway Station to the Gateway of India. The minibus is attached to the Colaba Depot and is owned by PNM Transport and Mobility Limited, identified as PNM on the body of the bus.

That’s all from me for this time. Till next time, keep taking the bus..

Featured image: BEST’s Tata Marcopolo CNG midibus (Left) and BYD Olectra Electric Midibus (Right) [Srikanth Ramakrishnan]

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BEST Launches AC Minibuses In Goregaon East, But There Are Problems That Need To Be Solved First

On Sunday (19 January), BEST announced the launch of two new AC routes, this time in Goregaon. The routes announced were A-447 and A-646. A-447 travels from Goregaon Station (East) to Santosh Nagar (Extension) on the Film City Road while A-646 travels from Goregaon (East) Bus Station to Nagari Niwara 1&2.

On Tuesday (21 January), I headed to Goreagon East to take a trip on these buses. The buses are the same Force Motors Traveller Smart Citibus and are owned by Hansa City Bus (HCB) that also owns the mini-buses that operate at Andheri. However, they belong to the Dindoshi Depot (located on the Goregaon Mulund Link Road) that serves Goregaon (East), Kandivali (East) and Malad (East).

The misnomer here is that while BEST says the bus operates till 11.35 PM, they actually operate only in one direction. Post 9.35 PM, all the A-447s after terminating at Santosh Nagar (Extension) take a U-tun and head back to the depot, sans passengers. There is no schedule available on BEST’s app yet and the bus is not listed on the website. Note: None of of the AC routes are listed on BEST’s Route Network website: ( http://routenetwork.bestundertaking.com/ ). You only see them if you select Area and search for buses between two points. This problem also occurs on A-257 from Andheri Station to JVPD. Buses after 9 PM from Andheri drop off passengers at ESIC Nagar and then head to Oshiwara Depot without going ahead to the station.

I waited nearly 40 minutes for a bus back to the station but there were none. The conductor, seemingly new to this system started issuing tickets when the first bus took a U-turn. However, he then had to take them back and issue refunds after a ten minute wait. This happened with three more buses and each time, the driver didn’t bother talking to the conductor. On the other hand, the conductor called up folks at Goregaon Bus Station as well as Dindoshi Depot to find out if there was a bus or not and kept getting affirmative answers. Ultimately, at 10.40 PM, he was told that no more buses would come back to the station, at which point, those who had a ticket boarded a 447 (non-AC) with an AC ticket.

The conductor was evidently a bit irate at this point, and I would support his frustration. He ranted for a bit on the lack of coordination, stating that it was expected because this was the second day of the service. I told him it’s been happening at Andheri for over a week and he wasn’t surprised.

BEST needs better coordination. Much better coordination.

Note: I have an idea that could help solve this problem, (along with several other problems) that not just BEST, but other transport corporations may face. I’m in the process of writing a detailed article on the topic. Expect it in maybe a week. I can only give one hint: Motorola.

Featured Image: BEST’s A-447 at Goregaon Bus Station (East). Clicked by Srikanth Ramakrishnan.

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BEST Starts With AC Feeder Buses To Metro Stations

Back in 2014, BEST had launched a series of buses in and around Andheri (East) called Metro Pheri to serve as feeder routes to various stations along Line 1 of the Mumbai Metro. Unfortunately, they pretty much ran empty.

Now, in what seems like a resurgent comeback for BEST, they have started a new route that would act as a feeder for the Metro, this time in the West.

BEST announced the launch of A-260 connecting Oshiwara Depot/Goregaon Depot with Indian Oil Nagar (D N Nagar Metro Station).

As mentioned above, the bus stops at Green Park, Millat Nagar, Lokhandwala Junction (Aai Tuljabhavai Chowk) and Lakshmi Industrial Estate. The odd thing is that the bus doesn’t stop at Monginis Cake Company/Citimall where A-235 (and formerly A-242) used to terminate and A-210 has a stop. The junction is also a major starting point for share autos heading for both Andheri Station and the DN Nagar Metro Station.

Along with this, the realignment of A-251 from Versova Yari Road Bus Station to Seven Bungalows Bus Station is also an additional step in providing feeder connectivity to the metro. However, BEST should have extended it to operate from Versova Yari Road to Andheri Station. One must remember at the end of the day that the earlier bus users briefly shifted to the metro when bus fares reached an all time high and have come back to buses. Those who earlier used share-autos have shifted to the Metro while the upper class regular auto and taxi users have not migrated. At least not yet.

On Twitter, I had earlier suggested a route from Veera Desai Road (Extension) to JVPD Bus Station which would act as feeders to both the Azad Nagar and DN Nagar Metro Stations.

A majority of BEST’s services are de facto feeder routes connecting to various railway stations. With the advent of the Metro, this needs to be expanded here as well. The core advantage the Metro has over the Suburban Rail is that because it is not at-grade (elevated or underground), the can start and end at two places that are not necessarily the metro station but intersect them.

BEST needs to do a lot more for the East. The Metro Pheri can perhaps be brought back to connect SEEPZ and MIDC with Chakala, JB Nagar, and Marol (Western Express Highway, Chakala – JB Nagar, Airport Road and Marol naka metro stations). Passengers headed to MIDC and SEEPZ from the Metro are otherwise left at the mercy of auto-rickshaws who for some reason refuse trips. While private players like Shuttl have begun services, mainly to service 91Springboard that has three hubs in the region, BEST needs to step in as well.

Along with this, BEST desperately needs a lot more of these non-stop AC minibuses in the East, primarily from Pinky Cinema (Agarkar Chowk) to Majas Depot. BEST could also experiment with a few of them from Airport Road metro to Terminal 2 and WEH metro/Chakala bus stop to Terminal 1 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).

Further, BEST also needs to provide a few services to Monorail stations. While the Mumbai Monorail itself has its own share of problems, all those are in MMRDA’s domain but connectivity to the monorail stations needs to be done.

Perhaps BEST can strike a deal with Reliance Infrastructure-led Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) for more connectivity?

Given BEST’s decision to cancel tenders earlier in December 2019, it seems we will have to wait for a while before things change. The 21-seater Force Motors’ Traveller Smart Citibus seems to be a good choice so far.
But until then, let’s hope for the best. (Pun intended).

Featured Image: D. N. Nagar Metro Station (Superfast1111/Wikimedia Commons)

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