Nearly four years after it got is first batch of electric buses (Goldstone non-AC buses at the Backbay Depot), the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking last week (7 August, BEST Divas), rolled out its latest buses. Full length, electric, air-conditioned buses are finally here as part of the fleet.
BEST has been experimenting with several buses over the last four years, particularly in the air-conditioned fleet. Today the fleet consists of Tata Starbus Diesel-Hybrid full-length buses, Force Smart Citibus Diesel mini-buses, Tata Marcopolo CNG midi-buses, Tata Ultra Electric Midi-buses, Olectra electric Midi-buses and now Tata Ultra Electric full-length buses.
The new lot of buses will be attached to the Backbay Depot in South Bombay and Dharavi Depot in mid-town. Two buses were flagged off on 6th August. The routes are A-115 from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to NCPA via Churchgate and A-116 from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to NCPA via the Reserve Bank of India and Museum (Dr Shyamaprasad Mookherjee Chowk).
@CMOMaharashtra flagged off Electric Bus routes today: A-115: Between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and NCPA via Churchgate & A-116: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to NCPA via RBI, Museum Timing: 8.00 to 19.30 (every 5 min)#bestupdates#ElectricVehiclepic.twitter.com/xeJeKfNzdm
Finally full size 12m buses are here. These are one of the first full size Pure E-Buses in the fleet. Yesterday 25 buses were launched with two AC routes A-115 and A-116. First batch of these buses are alotted to Backbay Depot. Total 140 full size E-buses will join the fleet pic.twitter.com/JGo9szm5vp
A recent rumour has been spreading that the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking is shutting down its Oshiwara Depot on 1 August 2021.
The rumour was started by a group called Aapli BEST (आपली बेस्ट आपल्याचसाठी) on Facebook. In a series of tweets, they shared the same fake news, which was soon shared by several bus fans on both Instagram and Whatsapp stories. Below is a screenshot of one such story.
Fake News spread by Aapli Best on Oshiwara Depot shutting down
The post makes allegations that according to information received from “sources”, the Oshiwara Depot will shut on 1 August 2021 and the routes from the depot will be handled by the adjacent Goregaon Depot. It then says that staff from Oshiwara too will be transferred to Goregaon and that discussions between the undertaking’s administration and staff happened over the last few days. It then goes on to say that the sudden decision left the workers at BEST in a panic and that the reason behind BEST’s decision was not certain. The post then makes the allegation that BEST employees have reported that the land was sold to the builder lobby before completely changing topic to talking about private buses. It then says BEST has already got private buses and private staffers (buses on a wet lease) before asking the undertaking if it planned on completely privatising the service. The post ended with the question asking if the alleged closure of the Oshiwara depot was not a precursor to complete privatisaion.
The entire post makes little no sense. As a former journalist, one thing I have learned over the last few years is, never rely on any report that directly says “sources”. Two, if BEST was intending on privatising itself, why would land for the Depot be sold? Wouldn’t the private player also require the depot land to maintain and operate buses?
BEST put all doubts to rest by responding to the tweets, stating that the information being spread was incorrect.
आपण प्रसार करत असलेली माहिती चुकीची आहे. आपण बेस्टची अधिकृत माहिती प्राप्त व खात्री करून सोशल मीडिया वर प्रसार करणे अपेक्षित आहे.
In another plan to get more people to use public transport, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has introduced its new air-conditioned midi-bus, the Punyadasham. Fifty CNG-powered Eicher buses will be used as part of the Atal Seva Shuttle Scheme which will see these buses ply in the Peth areas of Pune with a flat fare of ₹10 which operates as a bus pass and can be used multiple times. The service was inaugurated on 9 July this year by former Chief Minister and current Leader of Opposition Shri Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis who travelled in the inaugural bus from Mahatma Phule Mandai to the Mayor’s House.
In order to buy the ticket, one must produce a government-issued ID such as a PAN Card, Aadhaar Card, etc. The existing ₹40 and ₹70 Daily Pass won’t work on these buses.
The 70 RS and 40 Rs day pass will be not work in this buses. Only 10 RS Pass. By taking these 10 RS Pass you can travel anywhere in central part of city in which the routes are allocated for this buses. The pictures of passes pic.twitter.com/n6IOkIWAvQ
In an article titledBus, Aadhaar dedo!, Pune Mirror decried this move as a bad idea, notwithstanding the fact that other cities such as Bangalore have had such a rule from 2015. They also lamented over how AC buses were violating Covid-19 norms in another article. It seems such criticism is only valid when a BJP-run Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PMC/PCMC) runs AC buses (PMPML) and not when a Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai and Thane MC (BMC/TMC) run AC buses (BEST/TMT) from the start of the Wuhan Virus pandemic. The Pune Mirror also cried along with the NCP when the Corporation decided to curtail 15 loss-making routes.
PMPML should however, consider using the existing Mi Card as an ID Card for these buses, since they are to be used as Common Ticketing systems for the Pune Metro.
A ₹10 AC ride in the heart of the city. Have fun, but take precautionary measures.
After a lengthy gap, I’ve managed to come across another delightful drone image, this time it is one something that I have been looking for over the last year and a half. Throughout the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, we have seen aerial drone shots of different bus stations, depots and even a metro depot.
This is an aerial view of Asia’s largest bus terminus. Now before you get confused, this is not the erstwhile Millenium Park depot from Delhi. This is the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) officially known as the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M. G. R Bus Terminus located at Koyambedu in Chennai. Spread over 37 acres, it serves as a common bus terminus for all outstation buses operated by the six Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations (TNSTC) and the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) while also serving buses to other states including the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). Till 2018, it also served Andhra Pradesh and Telangana-buses and buses of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Coporation (APSRTC) and Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), which have since been shifted to the Madhavaram Mofussil Bus Terminus (MMBT) in the northern suburbs of the city. It is also a major terminal for buses operated by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), that is located at the front.
Take a look at this beautiful snap clicked by Beema with a DJI Mavic Air 2.
Apart from this, CMBT also houses a Metro station (officially the Puratchi Thalaivi Dr. J. Jayalalithaa CMBT Metro Station). The bus station was built in the early 2000s to decongest the earlier terminal located at Broadway near the Madras High Court. Behind the terminus is the Koyambedu Wholesale Market, the Chennai Contract Carriage Bus Terminus that caters to private outstation buses and the depot for the Green Line of the Chennai Metro.
That’s all from me this time folks. Do follow Beema on Instagram: @my_shutter_life.
Now you know what Asia’s largest bus terminus looks like from the air.
As part of a modernisation programme, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahanagar Mahamandal (PMPML) has decided to go in for development of 30 spaces that it owns, which includes 17 depots and 13 open spaces, reports in Punekar News and Hindustan Times have said. The project will be executed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis at a cost of ₹11,666 crore.
With the gap between revenue and expenditure shooting up from ₹23 crore in 2011-12 to ₹315 crore in 2019-20, PMPML is projecting its cumulative losses to touch ₹9,600 crore in the next ten years.
The newly built depots would feature workshops for maintenance of buses, along with parking facilities for the fleet while the upper levels would house commercial establishments including hotels, hospitals and office spaces.
A feasibility study was conducted by VK Associates which estimated that PMPML could earn up to ₹1,516 crore annually by redeveloping its depots and open spaces. The proposal is currently awaiting approval from higher authorities.
Owing to the ongoing pandemic, many transport corporations have been hit. PMPML on its part has been looking at alternative means of revenue generation, including setting up small kiosks at bus stops – a move that received unwarranted backlash over frivolous reasons – and also setting up a courier service.
Let’s hope PMPML goes forward with this development plan so that Pune can finally get the better public transport that it deserves.
For the first time in the history of Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is facing a huge shortage of buses. Once considered the pride of Mumbai and Asia’s best bus service, often compared with London, is now in a poor shape. Back in 2004-05, BEST had 3400 buses in its fleet and carried 45 lakh passengers. Long distance routes were fewer, and priority was given to feeder routes catering to the nearest railway station. Things went downhill from 2010, when the first fare hike happened. Followed by subsequent fare hikes in 2012, 2013 and 2015, along with an increase in ownership of personal vehicles (especially two wheelers) and share autos covering many parts of city, many people have given up on using buses. Although the fleet strength was around 4500, the passenger numbers were much lower than before, touching the 30 lakh mark. The 2018 fare hike was a disaster and the passenger numbers went as low as 15 lakh per day. In July 2019, BEST announced a 50 per cent fare cut. While it did manage to get back passengers, seeing around 20-25 lakh passengers per day, revenue took a hit and the pandemic made things just worse. While this is not completely relevant to the main topic of this article, it shows how BEST lost its glory and the number of passengers over the years to other modes of transport.
History of the BEST fleet (2000- present):
Talking about non-AC buses, as a child, I remember seeing only the classic old diesel-powered Vikings buses from Ashok Leyland. All buses used Rolling cloth displays. A single Decker full sized bus accommodated 47-49 seating passengers and 20 standees (the actual number of standees definitely exceeded this number in peak hours). Double Decker Vikings, which were basically a taller version of Single decker Vikings were also quite popular back then, most of them had a single cabin for the driver which was separate from passenger area and had a single, wide rear door. Newer models which were last procured in 2008-09, had double cabin. This change in style was because the single-cab design made it difficult for mechanics to access the engine.
Later on, around 2005, BEST started introduction of new buses under the World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP Phase-1). Around 644 buses were supplied under this project. Even these buses were manufactured by Ashok Leyland, but had better suspension, better speed and acceleration compared to the older buses and impressive looks.
In 1997, BEST introduced the first ever CNG-powered bus in it’s fleet which was a CNG version of the same old Leyland Vikings on its 50th anniversary post municipalisation. Post that, by 2001, BEST got it’s around 40 CNG-powered buses from Ashok Leyland (in 82xx and 87xx series). Many CNG buses were received between 2004-2006 from both Tata and Leyland (in 79xx and 3xxx series) which had the same old Vikings design. But the Tata CNG buses procured in 2007-08, the buses built by various coach builders (5xxx series) were terrible — to say the least. While I’m not sure if the Engine had less power or not maintained well, many of these buses struggled to climb flyovers and ghat sections like Ghodbunder road. As of today, many of these buses have been rebuilt and working in better condition. Some CNG Midi buses built by Ashok Leyland, with a seating capacity of 35 passengers and 15 standees were also procured. By 2009-10, BEST started to receive around 800 buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) which were manufactured by Ashok Leyland. These buses were the first ones to have a digital display, four per bus: front, side, rear and one inside the bus, displaying in Marathi and English. Quality-wise, the buses were as good as the MUTP ones, but were powered by CNG. Few Midi buses of the same model were received, too. Post that, no new buses were procured until 2016-17, when 186 brand new Tata ACGL diesel buses were procured. It had an improved design, more standing space and forced ventilation. The latest addition to the fleet was 6 electric buses manufactured by Olectra (formerly BYD Goldstone) which were housed at Backbay depot, operating on route 138 from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Backbay Depot.
Talking about AC buses, a lot had been already said earlier. BEST had introduced AC buses way back in 1998. In 2007, BEST got the first of its 285 infamous “Purple Faeries” which were advertised as Chinese Kinglong buses but were actually built in Punjab under the brand name Cerita. Around the same time, BEST received a CNG version of Volvo 8400 for trials for a few weeks, after which it was returned without any purchase orders. Later on, BEST signed an agreement with Asian Concierge to procure 50 Diesel-powered Volvo 8400s in exchange for full body advertisements on them for 15 years. However, only six buses were procured. All of them belonged to the Oshiwara Depot and used to ply on AS-4 between Oshiwara Depot and Backbay Depot. Fast forward to 2017, all AC routes were suspended citing low passengers. A few of the Ceritas that were converted to non-AC continue to be in operation, while the six Volvo 8400 buses lie rotting in Oshiwara depot.
AC buses came into light again in 2018, when Tata gifted the MMRDA, 25 Diesel-Electric Hybrid buses, which in turn were provided to BEST for running AC buses in BKC. Buses ran from Borivali, Andheri, Thane, Mulund and Kharghar till BKC in the morning peak hours, served the Bandra Station- BKC and Kurla station- BKC routes whole day before returning to suburbs in the evening peak hours.
In 2019, after a great hue and cry over wet-leasing of buses, fearing loss of jobs of existing drivers and conductors, workers’ union agreed upon running of wet-leased buses on one condition, maintaining BEST’s owned fleet at 3337 buses which was the existing fleet in June 2019 when the deal was made. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by BEST with the BEST Workers’ Union. For every scrapped bus, BEST was required to buy a new bus. Drivers would be provided by the leasing company, while conductors would be provided by BEST (buses would operate conductorless and ticket sales would happen at the bus stop).
Finally in September 2019, the first ten wet-leased Midi buses (6 AC and 4 non-AC) were inducted into service. The electric buses were obtained under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric vehicles (FAME-I) scheme. These were housed at the Kalakilla depot and started plying on Route 302 (Mulund Check Naka- Sion), later extending to routes C-42 (Dadlani Park Thane- Sion), 352 (Sion- Trombay) and other routes too as more and more buses started to come into service. In October 2019, for the first time in the history of Mumbai, BEST introduced Force Mini AC buses in the fleet (Tempo Travellers). The first of these buses made its appearance on route A54 and A55 plying between Kohinoor Parking Lot and Siddhivinayak Temple. The route was curtailed due to low response, but these tempos were a hit when the services were started in Andheri West. Thus, more and more of these buses started to serve other areas of Mumbai too. Later on, in January 2020, BEST got its first set of 500 Tata Marcopolo Midi CNG AC buses, which started operating in Grant road- Tardeo area under the Mumbai Central Depot, later on extending to other depots as well. The latest addition to the Wet-leased bus fleet was Tata Midi Electric AC bus in December 2020. 26 of these buses were delivered to BEST, which initially started operating on 138 (Backbay Depot- CSTM) and 25 (Backbay Depot- Sion) routes, later extending to other routes and recently allocated to Shivajinagar and Malvani depots. A total of 340 such buses are to be procured under FAME-I scheme.
Now, coming to the shortage of Buses
Since the Ashok Leyland Vikings, both diesel and CNG converted ones were becoming old, and had completed their 15 years of service (which is the validity of Registration Certificate of any vehicle in India), BEST had started the process of scrapping these buses. Before Covid-19 pandemic hit India in March 2020, BEST had a total of 3,253 owned buses. Despite the pandemic, trains being shut for common people, BEST kept on scrapping buses as they completed their 15-year life despite being in good condition. According to a notification by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), all vehicle documents including the registration certificate were extended till September 2020, and further extensions were given till December 2020, March 2021 and now up to June 2021. Why BEST continued to scrap buses after the MoRTH notification and increased demand due to local train closure remains a mystery. Let us keep that apart for a while. Why didn’t BEST legally extend the validity of the registration certificate by paying ₹1,500 per bus (the rates have increased lately in March 2021, but this was about last year) instead of procuring MSRTC buses from all over Maharashtra at ₹75 per km? A fellow bus enthusiast mentioned that BEST had difficulty in procuring spare parts for the older buses due to pandemic. BEST has managed to scrap a total of 1,200+ buses during the current pandemic which is really saddening. As of August 2020, BEST had a total of 120 Double Decker buses, which were helpful in operating on long distance routes like 440 and C-42 due to their carrying capacity in absence of local trains, are now reduced to 45.
The current BEST owned fleet stands at 2,010 buses. This includes around 800 Ashok Leyland JNNURM buses, around 600 Tata CNG buses, some Ashok Leyland CNG Midi buses, 25 Tata AC Hybrid buses, around 180 Tata Diesel buses, 6 Olectra non-AC Electric buses and 45 Double Deckers. The last surviving 6 MUTP buses which had its farewell ride few days back is now going to be scrapped.
The total fleet of BEST including wet-leased buses currently stands at 3,323 buses. The first violation of the MoU is the fact that BEST is not maintaining its owned fleet at 3,337 buses. BEST has not chalked out any plan to buy new buses, even before the pandemic started and buses were already being scrapped. Now one may ask, what difference does it make if the buses are wet- leased or owned as long as it runs the required no of buses? Agreed, although the MoU is of concern to existing working staff of BEST, it does not make a big difference to the passengers if BEST manages to maintain the required number of buses. So why am I writing this? Because the wet-leased bus fleet, a total of 1,313 buses are all Mini AC buses or Midi AC buses, which are now operating on routes previously operated by Full-sized buses. This basically means a huge reduction in carrying capacity (almost 40-50 per cent per bus) unless they increase the frequency of buses on all routes.
The current fleet is so less that it cannot even handle the passenger load in normal times and the pandemic has made it even worse. Adding to the woes, due to lockdown imposed by the Government of Maharashtra again from April 2021, common people were disallowed to use trains while buses were restricted to one passenger per seat and no standees. Waiting time has increased on many routes. Intermediate passengers don’t even get a chance to board the bus since the allowed number of passengers (24 per full-sized bus, 15 per midi bus and 10 per mini bus) are already filled up at the origin bus stop. Starting September 2020, BEST had started inducting hired MSRTC buses in its fleet, along with experienced drivers and conductors, which were lying idle due to lesser services across the state. A total of 1,000 buses were leased, but MSRTC started to reduce the fleet since February 2021, when local trains were partially opened to common people. By May, only 500 MSRTC buses were operating and as of today, publishing this, MSRTC has completely withdrawn its fleet from BEST. There were some operational issues too which is a completely different topic.
While BEST did manage to do its BEST, by running maximum possible number of buses on important routes (40 ltd, 440 LTD, C-71 Exp, C-72 EXP, 202 LTD along the Western line and 302, 368 LTD, C-42 EXP along Central line) during the pandemic, the shortfall of buses was clearly evident. Seeing the woes, BEST should start inducting full sized buses in its fleet as soon as possible, be it owned or wet-leased. I hope the MCGM, which is sitting on an fixed deposit of ₹60,000 crore, which can build a coastal road costing ₹12,000 crores —primarily serving the car owners — can easily help buy BEST the additional 1,000-2,000 buses its needs. Apart from the 1,300+ mini/midi buses, at least 4,000 Full-sized buses are required to be able to provide an acceptable level of bus service for the huge city of Mumbai and its suburbs. In the coming months, around 540 Full-size buses (400 CNG and 140 Electric) are supposed to arrive which will be a big relief for Mumbaikars. I also hope the proposal to buy 100 new Double Decker buses goes ahead soon. As covid cases are reducing in Mumbai, I hope the Maharashtra government considers opening up of local trains to reduce the load on already strained buses to some extent, till the time BEST manages to enhance the fleet. As a bus enthusiast and a common citizen of Mumbai, I seriously feel bad for the condition that BEST is currently in and wish to see it regain its lost glory and become BEST again.
In its quest to turn Mumbai into a global city, the government today added another feather to its cap. After repeatedly turning Mumbai into a seasonal Venice every monsoon, despite making promises to turn the city into a Shanghai or a Singapore, the government this year took inspiration from both Italy and Spain.
News agency ANI posted a video on Twitter showing bulls running across a flooded Malad Subway.
Many users took to Twitter to discuss the matter. Several thought it was the Tamil tradition of Jallikattu while some thought it was the Kannada tradition of Kambala. However, if one takes a closer look, it was actually more of Pamplona, in Navarre, Spain.
The three parties in the current administration of the state of Maharashtra have always professed international models to turn Mumbai into. While none of them have chosen mainstream Western cities like London and New York, they have focused more on the Eastern side, by deciding that Mumbai would be modelled on the likes of Shanghai and Singapore. However, since the deluge of 2005, Mumbai turns into a seasonal Venice every year. Note: A few people have linked this to the entry of an Italian-origin politician in India’s politics in 2004.
Given the current government’s penchant for global designs for the city, this is another feather in their cap. From canals based on Italy’s Venice, to Freedom of Expression based on China, this was inevitable. Oh and who can forget the Penguins at Byculla Zoo?
Take a look at the bull run scene from the 2011 Bollywood film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and you’ll see that they are very similar.
Bull Running in Pamplona from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
The current government is very proactive in using new methods to improve Mumbai’s global status. Last year, they switched over from Rolling Cloth displays to Dust Written displays on BEST buses. The proposed grand aquarium was established with fishes arriving at Parel.
From Italy, China and now Spain, Mumbai is imbibing global elements.
The last 14 months have been quite a strain on all of us with the pandemic and the consequential lockdown(s). With many places still under varying lockdown and lockdown-like situations, getting things to run a household is tough.
I was introduced to the concept of hyper-local delivery services in early 2018 when a start-up firm moved into the building where our office was located in Bangalore. Often, during coffee breaks we’d all gather on the terrace and talk about many things in general and on one such occasion, a co-founder of the firm explained the concept to me. The start-up eventually moved their offices elsewhere but has today become a well-known name in Bangalore – Telyport.
Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to an app called Dunzo. It had become popular and had just received $128 million in funding and that included Google – a first in India. Dunzo soon became a mainstay among a lot us and was used for almost everything – from ordering liquor and cigarettes to sending keys home to ordering medicine. I was once visiting a friend who asked me to purchase something on my way and since there was a lot of traffic (Bangalore and its incessant drizzle), I ordered it on Dunzo. It reached before I did.
However, it was during the pandemic when these services began to shine. Having spent a significant amount of time during the pandemic and lockdown in both Mumbai and Bengaluru and having spent a little time in Chennai, I can’t imagine how life would be without these platforms. Every other day, I’d be down at the gate, waiting for someone from Dunzo, Swiggy or WeFast, either collecting something or sending something. From medicines, a pulse oximeter, beverages, snacks, legal documents to a cake, I’ve made full use of hyper-local services.
A Dunzo partner waiting near Char Bangla Market in Andheri (West). Photo: Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia, available on the Wikimedia Commons.
In order to understand how the situation was for these delivery agents, I did what I’ve done with cab drivers, auto drivers and bike taxi drivers in the past – strike up a conversation whenever possible. I also spoke to a few people who work at service providers either in tech or operations.
The first thing that stood out was a complete lack of clarity from various government agencies – federal, state and civic – on restrictions and exceptions. Few cities had a system where people engaged in essential services could apply for an e-pass – remember the Licence Raj? – and even then the guidelines have not been clear since March 2020. In the absence of concrete guidelines, there is bound to be ample scope for confusion and under the current circumstances, this is not a good sign. For instance, in the absence of proper guidelines, there is no clarity on what kind of documentation is to be carried. Many agents carry a letter issued by either the service provider, or by the establishment they are delivering for. At the other end of the spectrum, I have been told by several people that police in a few big cities have hired new recruits to enforce the lockdown. These new recruits, who neither carry a badge nor wear a uniform, often harass these agents, sometimes along with those in uniform. I have heard umpteen stories of delivery agents having the papers snatched from them and being torn up, getting beaten up by law enforcement agencies and of course, having their vehicles seized.
Now, as if this wasn’t enough, a few days ago, police in Hyderabad, Telangana began stopping delivery agents associated with Swiggy, UberEats, Dunzo and Zomato, fining them ₹1,000 and then seizing their vehicles. The reason? Police claims that food delivery cannot be considered essential services!
Police seize vehicles of Zomato,Uber eats,swiggy & Dunzo delivery boys & fined Rs 1000 each in Hyderabad on Saturday nd as per police the vehicles will b released after 5pm, police say's food delivery agents cannot be considerd under essential services. Express video by R V K Rao pic.twitter.com/LvF4Ry2Bmg
Now, there are multiple problems I have with this incident. For starters, who decides what is essential and what is not? If food delivery is not an essential service, why was not mentioned in a government order and why were restaurants allowed to operate? Many people who do not have facilities to cook use food delivery services on a daily basis, and Hyderabad – being one of the largest information technology hubs in the country – sees many a bachelor living in a low-cost housing unit that may or may not have the facilities required to cook. This in turn begs the question – what about the customers who have paid for their order? By going after the delivery agents, customers are essentially being cheated.
Interestingly, it was Hyderabad’s representative to the Lok Sabha Asaduddin Owaisi who pointed out that the government order did include delivery services including food. He also stated that personnel should not be stopped and in the event that the government had made food delivery non-essential, the government order should be amended.
G.O on lockdown in Telangana clearly states that food delivery is permitted. Why are delivery personnel being detained then? They must be released along with their vehicles immediately. These are poor youths trying to get by @TelanganaDGP@cpcybd@CPHydCity@RachakondaCop 1/2 pic.twitter.com/qvWnbESAfW
It is essential that we understand that these delivery agents are frontline workers. They have made life easier for common people by continuing to deliver goods to them while at the same time ensuring that small businesses including stores and restaurants can continue operating, all while risking their own well-being. Given the nature of the work they do, it is impossible for any agent to determine whether they are safe at any time or not. On a single delivery route between the establishment they are delivering for and their destination, there are numerous possibilities of them contracting the virus from anywhere. Unfortunately even the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) doesn’t catergorise them as front line workers.
Several states have gone ahead and announced prioritised vaccination drives for journalists as frontline workers. While this is not a bad move, it should ideally only be a priority for those on ground such as field reports, camera crew and the likes, not those who sit comfortably at home and write op-eds without once stepping out.
Finding a solution to this mess is a very easy one. However, out bureaucratic setup ensures that all easy solutions are done away with and a complicated system that involves permissions from various sundry authorities gets imposed. The easiest way to solve this issue is to remove all requirements of government authorisation. For delivery agents, since they are anyway using an app-based system, a notification on their device should suffice, however since our setup prefers everything on paper, a letter from the service provider they are working for should do. Uniforms should not be mandatory as they can be problematic, as in the case when the Greater Chennai Police found a man delivering marijuana using a Zomato t-shirt.
Governments and government agencies need to stop harassing anyone who steps out during the lockdown. Often, they don’t understand a genuine requirement. Further, some external factors need to be taken care off. Alcohol can no longer be ordered in some states, notably Karnataka – thanks to a stupid High Court order – and Maharashtra – where one requires a permit to posses alcohol. Cigarettes and paan can not be ordered on Android devices but can be on iOS devices because the Google Play store guidelines do not allow purchase of tobacco items. Google Play has a lot of issues, banning items that are legal in India, but that is a tale for another day.
States should seriously consider according frontline worker status to delivery agents, populating a list from service providers and cross checking it with Aadhaar records in order to get them vaccinated on a priority basis. After all, they are keeping the economy running, keeping both agents and shopkeepers employed and ensuring that people stay at home.
The single best example of this is from a tweet that Dunzo put out in April 2020.
If your delivery agent is delayed next time, they’re probably being harassed by government agencies somewhere.
Recommended Reading: The Rise and Rise of the Hyperlocal Delivery Model by Basundhara Choudhary in the May 2021 issue of Logistics Insider. You will need to purchase a copy however. The article talks about different hyperlocal logistics providers including Paytm Mall, Jeena & Co, Shiprocket, BlowHorn, Pidge, Life Care Logistics, among others.
I’d like to thank Yatin for his inputs. I’d also like to thank Rohan Kawley, Mokshda, Aishwarya and Esha for their encouragement.
If you have any feedback, please do leave it in the comments section below.
Since the pandemic is ongoing, please don’t step out without taking proper precautions including a mask and hand sanitizer.
With the ongoing lockdown causing a strain on the finances of public transport operators, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) is now looking at raising revenue through alternative means. After a well-thought idea to monetise bus stops with shops was ridiculed over flimsy reasons, the corporation is now looking at starting parcel services within its operational region according to a report by the Indian Express.
PMPML chief executive officer Rajendra Jagtap has said that the corporation is exploring new revenue sources to sustain itself. It is looking at running courier services on a revenue sharing basis with a private partner. While PMPML itself will handle the main transportation of goods, the private entity would handle last mile connectivity and loading and unloading of goods within the depots.
Jagtap added that the Corporation’s current fleet of buses can handle the load with a designated space near the rear entry or the driver’s compartment. Parcels will be loaded and unloaded at depots.
PMPML currently covers 300 routes across 1,900km within the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) that includes the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) limits, the Pune Cantonment, Khadki Cantonment and Dehu Road Cantonment limits along with 100 villages and towns in the vicinity. Buses run for 19 hours in a day till midnight, carrying 11 lakh passengers in a day.
In late 2014, I developed a weird interest, one that would continue on for two more years. I started documenting bus tickets and daily passes. I then wrote an article here, documenting only daily passes, updating the article over the next two years with pictures from other cities I had been to. You can read the article here: The Underrated Daily Pass.
Among them, what I realised I was that I did not have a picture of BEST’s punched passes. When BEST switched over to electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) in 2011, they made the complete switch. Unlike other transcos such as BMTC or PMPML which manually issues passes (wither punched from a wad or issued from a booklet), BEST issued daily passes also from the ETM. The only other city that I knew at the time that did this was Hyderabad.
A printed BEST Magic AC Daily Bus Pass from 2015. (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia via Wikimedia Commons)
It took me a while to get this picture because all the daily passes printed at that time had my name and ID number printed on it. Then BEST decided that IDs (smart cards) wouldn’t be required on weekends and holidays and one day I got this.
In January 2015, I put out a tweet asking people if they had the old pass or a picture of it. By 2018, BEST’s electronic ticketing was facing problems with the service provider Trimax IT facing bankruptcy, and BEST went back to punched paper tickets. However, I didn’t get much a chance to buy a pass since many conductors didn’t have them and I mostly used the Metro or Western Railway.
Anyone here who has the old punched Daily Pass issued by BEST in Mumbai? Or a picture of it?
Now what are all these different passes? Well, back in the day, BEST had different passes available. The first pass is valid only on ordinary and limited buses in suburban regions, the second and sixth for ordinary and limited buses all over BEST’s operations’ area, the third is also valid for ordinary and limited buses all over BEST’s areas of operation, the fourth one is valid for all non-AC buses including express buses, and the fifth one is only for ordinary and limited buses in the city region, (SoBo).
Passes valid for the city region are valid upto Rani Laxmi Chowk (Sion Circle) and Mahim. Passes valid for suburban regions are valid north of this barrier (where autos ply). Passes that are valid on all routes are valid everywhere across the MMR where BEST operates including Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayendar.
This is what the punched BEST Magic Day Pass looks like. Don’t forget to follow Mayuresh on Twitter: @MayureshP2020
If you intend to step out whether you buy a daily pass or not, please wear a mask, carry sanitizer and maintain social distancing.
Featured image: A BEST ticket box clicked in 2015. (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia)
