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)
Your next ride in a long distance AC bus in Tamil Nadu might just be different. In a bid to boost ridership and safety of passengers during the ongoing Wuhan Virus pandemic, the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) of Tamil Nadu has upgraded 20 of its 340 AC buses. According to a report in the Times of India, these 20 buses have been upgraded with air-conditioning units that have multistage air filters, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems to prevent viruses and bacteria from entering the bus.
According to the corporation, 200 of its 340 buses were operational during the lockdown with an average occupancy of 65 per cent. Officials at SETC said that they anticipated additional demand for AC buses during the summer and that many passengers were still skeptical about traveling in AC buses due to the spread of the Wuhan Virus. A private partner was approached for a pilot project in 20 buses. The air filters, each costing ₹40,000 have been installed atop the existing air-conditioning units of the bus.
Officials added that the UV sterlisation destroys micro-organisms that enter, while a filter mesh and photocatalyst absorb larger micro-organisms. The fresh air mechanism ensures that stale air within the bus is not circulated, thus also reducing travel fatigue. An air quality index (AQI) monitor is installed near the driver cabin to measure the AQI in the bus. Results from the trial runs showed that after 25 minutes of operation, AQI went down from 759 micro-organisms per cubic metre to 33.
With the ongoing pandemic, this looks like a fantastic method to reduce transmission of the virus in public transport while also ensuring a smooth and comfortable drive. Tamil Nadu’s chief minister Edappadidi K Palaniswami has so far done a splendid job of handling the pandemic and not allowing India’s most urbanised state to become like Uddhav Thackeray-ruled Maharashtra. EPS has also done a lot for public transport and infrastructure for the state over the last four years. Do keep this in mind when Tamil Nadu goes to polls on 6 April.
It seems the days of TNSTC and SETC being the best transcos in India are back.
Featured image: New SETC AC buses by Vinoth Thambidurai (VOMMspotter).
When you head out to vote for the AIADMK-PMK-BJP alliance on 6th, please remember to wear a mask, carry hand sanitizer and maintain social distancing.
Thanks to the Wuhan Virus pandemic, the last one year has been bad for public transport. This has been problematic especially in larger cities such as Mumbai and Chennai. However, Chennai went a step ahead of other cities by installing something as elementary as hand sanitizer dispensers on all buses operated by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC).
Below is a picture that I clicked in January this year. At many places, conductors were insistent that people enter only thru the read door and sanitize their hands before purchasing a ticket. At Vadapalani bus station, several conductors even refused to let passengers board if they weren’t wearing masks or didn’t sanitize their hands.
Hand Sanitizer dispenser inside an MTC bus (Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia)
While Tamil Nadu ranks second among deaths and fifth among total cases, one must remember that it is the most urbanised among India’s states (not counting Goa or Sikkim) with 48.15% of its population living in urban clusters. Kerala comes in second with Maharashtra with 47.7% and 45.2% respectively. These two states have meanwhile seen 1.14 million and 3.01 million total cases and nearly 5,000 and 56,000 deaths respectively as opposed to Tamil Nadu with 9 lakh total cases and 12,700 deaths. A special round of applause for Dr Beela Rajesh who served as the state’s health secretary from February 2019 to June 2020.
Tamil Nadu has done really well in its fight against the Wuhan Virus and one has to thank chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami for that. The state goes to polls on 6 April and I hope people remember EPS’ role in tackling the virus when they cast their votes.
Hand sanitizers in buses. Now why didn’t anyone else think of that?
Featured Image: MTC Tata Bharat Stage IV buses. Image Credits: Vinoth Thambidurai (VOMMspotter)
When you head out to vote for the AIADMK-PMK-BJP alliance on 6th, please remember to wear a mask, carry hand sanitizer and maintain social distancing.
As part of the mini-lockdown in Maharashtra which is right now turning into India’s Hubei/New York/California, BEST has announced that starting today (5 April 2021), no standees will be permitted in a bus (a bus will only carry as many passengers as it has seats). However, BEST has not made it clear as to whether social distancing norms will apply as had been the case with Mission Begin Again in June 2020.
Important updates NO STANDEES will be permitted in BEST buses and MSRTC buses operated on BEST routes . NO MASK NO ENTRY w.e.f. 05.04.2021 #bestupdates
Along with this, BEST has also made it mandatory for all passengers to wear masks. Passengers not wearing masks will not be allowed to board buses. One just hopes that the frequency of buses is increased.
Maharashtra under the Sena-NCP-INC government has mishandled the pandemic very badly with 55,000 deaths in the state. No other state comes anywhere close to it. Over the last year, multiple leftists and media propagandists have praised the CM for his handling of the pandemic much like Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo and Governor of California Gavin Newsom have. Both these states are the worst hit in the United States.
If you’re venturing out, please wear a mask and carry sanitiser with you:
Last week, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) launched a tender worth ₹45 crore under the Smart Cities Mission to set up 1,500 smart bus stops which included a 5x5x7 feet shop and kiosk. According officials of the corporation, the aim of this plan is to monetise bus stops, which makes sense given that the PMPML is currently sitting with a financial deficit of ₹600 crores.
However, the move has not gone down with certain people. Various groups including women’s organisations and others (interestingly described as ‘sundry’ by Pune Mirror in its not-so-neutral report) are opposing the move on rather flimsy grounds. They claim that the stalls will attract paan, bidi, gutka and cigarette shops which in turn will invite loiterers who might cause an inconvenience to female commuters. They have demanded that the corporation junk the plan and look at advertising and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
While advertising is lucrative, it’s scope is limited. As for CSR, the lesser said, the better. Now, the important question is, why is this move important. PMPML wants to implement these new bus shelters on all the bus rapid transit system (BRTS; also known as Rainbow) corridors as well as on major prime routes. It requires a total of 4,200 shelters across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and currently has only 1,996 shelters and that figure includes 749 stainless steel shelters (similar to the ones in Mumbai) and 110 BRTS shelters.
The argument that this move will only attract paan-bidi stalls is an assumption. So far, no bus station (except maybe a few in scattered rural parts of India) has a paan-bidi or gutka stall on its premises. The same goes for metro stations. Along with this comes a question: Which paan-bidi stall will go thru a government bidding process to set up a stall when the proprietor can easily set up a stall elsewhere. Next point: Most such stalls are invariably located next to our just outside a restaurant or a bar, often attached to them but accessible from the outside. That’s where the business comes. People go there after drinking or eating. Why would they come to a bus stop if the profit motive is limited?
Going forward that this opposition is based on an assumption, let us review some precedents.
In 2015, the Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited (AJL), facing increasing losses decided to start renting out space to banks to set up ATMs. Then, it went a step further and approved a plan to set up a tea stall that would sell refreshments and soft drinks at Maninagar and Nehrunagar Janmarg stations. Of course it is important to note that AJL uses off-board ticketing using AFC gates, much like a metro rail system. The PMPML meanwhile does not have such a system in place for the BRTS. The onus on ensuring that the shops are rented out to the right people lies on the PMPML, but having said that, they would not be stupid enough to rent them out to paan shops.
Taking a leaf out of metro systems’ books across the country; many of them have turned to non-fare revenue to offset losses. This includes auctioning off naming rights of stations, something not feasible for bus stops, advertising on the bus shelters and of course, retailing. This is not just limited to India, it is seen globally at various metro systems across. The largest success stories of this are in Delhi, Mumbai and of course Chennai.
If people are concerned with the size of the shop, that’s the size of many shops on the Mumbai Metro and even the Chennai Metro. The Jai Shree Radhe Soda Pub on the Mumbai Metro and Tibbs Frankie outlet on the Chennai Metro are just slightly larger than the size prescribed by the PMPML. But if the AJL could successfully have done it, why not Pune?
With a burgeoning debt that the corporation is sitting on, non-fare revenue is a great way to ease the burden. Opposing good plans with flimsy excuses, not so good.
Featured Image: An old makeshift PMPML bus stop sign from 2015.
If you’re venturing out, please wear a mask and carry sanitiser with you:
In what could only be good news, the electric bus craze has finally hit the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) with BEST leading the way. According to a report by Rajendra Aklekar in Mid-Day, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has the maximum in its fleet. In December, BEST had received the first batch of a 340 bus order of Tata Ultra electric AC buses from Tata Motors. Prior to this, BEST had received both AC and non AC electric buses from Olectra (formerly Goldstone) and also had a fleet of Diesel Electric Hybrid buses from Tata Motors.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) undertaking is second in the race, currently operating 30 air-conditioned JBM Solaris electric buses. NMMT is looking to set up 36 charging stations. NMMT has also stated in its recent municipal budget that it will eventually do away with its diesel buses and only ahve a fleet of electric and compressed natural gas (CNG) powered vehicles.
The Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) undertaking meanwhile got only one electric bus in the last three years, and this in turn has prompted the Mayor Thane to scrap the agreement and go in for a fresh one.
The Mira-Bhayendar Municipal Transport (MBMT) undertaking meanwhile is looking for places where it can set up charging stations.
Under the Modi sarkar’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme, funding for 240 buses was allotted to Maharashtra out of a larger plan of 670 buses for Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Chhattisgarh.
It seems the future of buses is indeed, electrifying.
After spending two days puzzling over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in Puducherry, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has decided to start bus services to Puducherry.
In his speech in poll bound Puducherry, the Prime Minister had said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would make the BEST before expanding BEST to Business Hub, Education Hub, Spiritual Hub and Tourism Hub.
NDA wants to make Puducherry the BEST. By BEST, I mean — B for business hub, E for education hub, S for spiritual hub, and T for tourism hub: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/WRdIQ1FqBK
After initially pondering on methods to make use of this, including changing the acronym of the undertaking to something else, BEST decided that they will operate buses to Puducherry.
Senior officials confirmed the development to our jobless reporter Sootbootki Sarkar. An official on the condition of anonymity said that BEST had enough experience running buses through other jurisdictions, to far off localities such as Badlapur and Virar and more importantly it knew how to deal with other transport bodies. He added, “We’e sure that out counterparts in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are not like NMMT who decides to stop our buses from entering their depots” to our reporter.
Another official added that BEST was considering its fleet of six Volvo buses that were lying at the Oshiwara Depot for the journey. “If Tamil Nadu can run those Volvo buses from Chennai to Pondicherry, why can’t we run them from Mumbai?”, he asked.
On being asked about the pandemic, we were told that anyone who was entering Maharashtra on these buses would have to mandatorily take an RT-PCR test while boarding. When our reporter further pressed on the results of the test, they said, “Mumbai aate aate test result bhi aa jaega”.
Note: The above article is meant to be humourous.Please don’t register a police complain or send goondas to the writer’s residence. If you see a BEST bus in Puducherry, please pinch yourself.
P.P.S: The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) used to run its fleet of Volvo B7RLE buses from Chennai to Puducherry. Here is a picture of it. You can read more about it here: The Escape Velocity of JnNURM buses
Last week the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM/BMC) announced a ₹750 crore financial package for the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking as part of its annual budget for 2021-2022.
MCGM also announced that it will appoint a consultant to introduce reforms within the undertaking in order to improve efficiency and improve ridership. BEST had received an allocation of ₹918 crore in the previous year.
Among the initiatives proposed under the budget, BEST will modernise its bus depots, implement an intelligent transport system, focus on improving commuter experiences and also procure more buses on the wet-lease model.
Let’s hope BEST goes forward with its plans.
To know more about depot modernisation and how it works, do read this article I had written in 2017 about the Dindoshi Depot’s plan by WRI.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking formally inaugurated its Operational Command an Control Centre on Friday (29 January 2021) at the Wadala bus depot. The Centre will be crewed by a staff of 16 and the centre will have video walls that will help track the position of every bus live. It will be integrated with BEST’s Intelligent Transit System (ITS) and also the BEST Pravas app that commuters can then use.
According to a report in Mid-Day by Rajendra Aklekar, there are two video walls with 9 displays that are 55 inches large. A conference room has also been built. The Centre will monitor all buses and their maintenance, track buses and relay their live location to commuters, handle lost and found items for commuters and will lastly function as a Control Centre during disaster situations.
