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Mumbai Gets A One Stop Solution: All You Need To Know About The MumbaiOne App – A Gamechanger For Public Transit in The MMR

Celebrations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) peaked on 8 October 2025, as the Mumbai Metro’s Aqua line’s last leg – Aarey JVLR to Cuffe Parade was made operational, along with the inauguration of the Navi Mumbai International Airport. But what accompanied these events was the launch of the Mumbai One App. The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) by the same name was launched with the inauguration of the Metro Yellow and Red lines, while the mobile application was in development for a long time. The wait has finally come to an end as the application is rolled out for public use with periodic updates.

Features

The Mumbai One app allows a passenger to travel across Mumbai City and its extended suburbs with a single payment system. This currently includes the Metro, Monorail, bus ticketing in BEST, NMMT, TMT and MBMT as well as the Mumbai Suburban Railway. The sole drawback of NCMC not being able to offer interoperability in other transport undertakings is ruled out as MMRDA has managed to bring buses, trains and metro ticketing under the ONDC umbrella. The app does not offer live tracking as of now, but the ticketing part is working well.

An interactive map – similar to the one seen at automatic ticket vending machines (ATVMs) at the railway stations is present in the app to choose the source and destination. Once finalised, the user can further filter out the mode of transport and choose which ticket to pay for.

A walkthrough video for the Mumbai One app can be seen below:

Metro and Suburban Rail

The Mumbai One app offers a quick ticketing feature for all the operational metro lines in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, as well as the Mumbai Monorail. As Monorail services are suspended, it was not possible to test the app as of now. The Mumbai Metro Aqua line network was updated within 72 hours after the application was made available to the public. Suburban rail ticketing is linked with the UTS (Unreserved Ticketing System) App.

Bus Ticketing

Travel on BEST buses was pretty simple, as the system for authenticating QR Tickets is already built into the Ticketing machines. Some conductors do confuse the ticket with a UPI Payment QR Code, but cooperate when made aware of the app.

Ground testing (not sponsored) took a month to bring the Thane Municipal Transport conductors aboard this system. TMT continued with ‘cash payment only’ until the complete rollout of the MaziTMT app this February. The system included two ways of verification – enabling the QR Code scanner in the ticketing machine or entering a token number, unique for each conductor. The conductors got so habituated to the token system, it became difficult to convince them to use the QR Code Scanner. In the earlier days, conductors complained of network errors in their machines as an excuse to deny e-ticketing, but that issue was resolved in a month once the higher-ups in TMT took cognisance of the same. The machines were updated within a week, and network connectivity is no more an excuse, and one can rely on the Mumbai One app as a mode of payment on board a TMT bus. Where a BEST conductor needs to feed stages and number of passengers before authenticating a mobile ticket, TMT went for a simpler system to just scan the M-Ticket QR and all the details easily flash in front of the conductor.

For NMMT and MBMT, the system is simple and sorted. The sole requirement is confirmation of the route from the bus conductor so as not to be confused with the short trips. Conductors happily guide the same, even in crowded situations. Ticket verification is done by simply opening the QR scanner on the ticketing machine. Both NMMT and MBMT have the same user interface for the ticketing system, which eliminates confusion. Both have a tie-up with PhonePe for digital payments and do not require entering any ticket details to verify mobile tickets purchased through the Mumbai One app.

Areas for Improvement

Ticketing in buses is a tedious part when dealing with digital payments, as the process takes an additional 30 seconds (every second counts), which creates a blocker for the conductor and inconvenience to the passengers. The Chalo app solved this with their in-app wallet and the Railways solved this issue with their R-Wallet linked to the UTS account. For some reason, one cannot book a return ticket for local trains through this app. There is a good scope to introduce an in-app wallet in Mumbai One, as Payments through the UPI Lite Wallet (a feature aimed at small payments without using UPI PIN) also take time to process by the payment gateway.

Conclusion

The Mumbai One application is solving the long-awaited problem of a common app to fulfil the travel needs in Mumbai & its extended suburbs. In future, we can expect all the errors sorted out at least in terms of bus ticketing. This article cannot be stretched more as the scenario is crystal clear, and users can happily rely on one app for travel needs in BEST, TMT, NMMT and MBMT. The next step towards a better commuting experience will be the integration of bus tracking with Google Maps. The railways are already on board, and so is BEST undertaking.

Download Mumbai One on Android and iOS.

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Rebirth Of A Long Runner: A Journey Onboard The Only BEST Bus Through The Eastern Freeway

On 9 May 2025, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking implemented a fare revision after sticking to lower ticket fares for nearly six years. This directly impacted most feeder routes as one way fares doubled but unlocked the potential to re-introduce long routes as the fare slabs were now available for up to 50kms. While the Undertaking is working on introducing a 3km fare slab for feeders routes, a new trunk route was introduced on 1 June 2025. The route A-490 operates from Dadlani Park in Thane to Mantralaya, via the Eastern Freeway.

Currently limited to just two trips in each direction from Monday to Saturday, A-490 aims to cater to the peak hour rush. While the bus is struggling to gain enough ridership, I took a ride from Mantralaya to understand why.

History

The Eastern Freeway is a toll-free, access-controlled road, completed in three stages – Orange Gate to Wadala, Anik to Panjarpol and Panjarpol to Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road. The road up to Panjarpol Circle was inaugurated in 2013 and the section up to Mankhurd Link Road was opened in April 2014. The extension of this Freeway up to Mulund is still under construction.

BEST operated two Express routes along the Eastern Freeway – C-8Exp from Shivaji Nagar to Mantralaya and C-50Exp from Vashi to World Trade Center. Once the entire stretch was opened, BEST started A-8Express using their JCBL Cerita fleet from Mulund to the World Trade Center. The route was shut down after BEST discontinued all air-conditioned services in 2017. C-50 and C-8 eventually merged into a new route A-21 from Anushakti Nagar to Electric House during the route rationalisation of 1 September 2021. On 1 July 2022, the route was converted to an AC route and renumbered to A-26 which is presently in service. However, A-26 uses the Eastern Freeway between Jijamata Nagar (Mahul) and P D’Mello Road. A-490 on the other hand uses the entire stretch of Eastern Freeway from P D’Mello Road to Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road.

Journey

Left to Right: Bus A-490, booking a ticket via the Chalo App and the view of the Easter Freeway from the front of the bus. (Photo: Gandharva Purohit for BESTpedia)

At 5:30pm in the evening, my bus started from Mantralaya for its 43km-long journey to Balkum – Dadlani Park. Eight passengers including me boarded from the first stop and ten more boarded at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk (Museum), only to alight at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). The bus had to do a detour via Mint Road citing manoeuvrability issues in taking a left at the GPO Signal. Post Carnac Bunder, there were just ten passengers onboard (including me) for the Freeway Ride. Two more passengers boarded post Indian Oil Nagar on Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road.

Ramabai Nagar was the common point where this route runs parallel with A-491 (earlier known as C-42Exp) to Dadlani Park. The bus was fairly vacant with just half of the seats occupied as we pulled outside Ghatkopar Depot for an unscheduled halt. After a 10min halt on the main road, we continued on the congested Eastern Express Highway. Meanwhile, a passenger accidentally boarded our bus by reading Mantralaya on the destination board but realised this bus was heading to Thane. It took another 50 minutes for the bus to reach Mithagar, Mulund East where I alighted at 7:47pm.

A view of BEST Bus A-490 at Mithagar, Mulund (Photo: Gandharva Purohit for BESTpedia)

In comparison with taking route A-138 to CSMT followed by a Thane slow local, my travel time was fair, coming under the two hour mark while the traffic congestion and unpredictable signals on highway resulted in a 2:17hr journey. Normally, the first bus reaches Mithagar by 7:20pm. It is difficult to imagine how the driver managed to reach Dadlani Park as traffic on the highway gets worse after entering Thane.

Conclusion

If someone from BEST is reading this, we’ll be more than happy if the following solutions are considered.

Limited stoppages with proper promotion attracting the passengers to opt for this bus. Taking the Ghatkopar Depot flyover similar to A-491 will save time.
The route board or display mentioning just the destination along with “via Eastern Freeway” will help improve the discoverability of this bus. The existing “source to destination” format creates confusion that can be solved with focusing on the destination and the route taken.
Sticking to peak hour time slots with an increase in schedules from two to four as more buses get inducted in the fleet.

This article is aimed to have a solution-oriented approach that is beneficial for both the passengers as well as the Transport Undertaking. BEST is losing its aged fleet with every passing day but the induction of brand-new buses from Olectra has gained pace in 2025, retaining the hope for survival. With the fare revision and fleet expansion in place, patience is the only thing we passengers have to offer.

Featured Image: Side View of Bus A-490 at Mantralaya (Photo: Gandharva Purohit for BESTpedia)

This Is What Should Have Been Done With BEST’s Old Double Decker Buses

In 2023, a considerable furore was created when the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking’s older double-decker buses were being scrapped. A glimmer of hope emerged when a group of busfans managed to write to then CM Shinde and get one of them preserved in the BEST Museum at the Anik Depot.

Subsequently, the undertakings’ parent body, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai or Brhihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (MCGM or BMC) decided to convert them to galleries, libraries and cafes. However, not much is known about the plan or what happened thereafter.

On a recent trip to Delhi, something caught my eye. At South Extension, I saw a double-decker bus (I’m not sure if it is a real bus or just a model) with the name Food Bus of India.

Food Bus of India at South Extension, Delhi. (Pic: Srikanth Ramakrishnan/BESTpedia)

On searching, I noticed that this is a restaurant chain with multiple outlets across Delhi. Now, I have seen a similar concept in Mumbai as well, but what it were really a bus? A bus that had carried people in the past and was part and parcel of the city’s vibrant economy, culture and heritage?

Now, the idea isn’t far fetched. Indian Railways, thru its subsidiary Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is doing the same across multiple railway stations in India with an old coach converted to a restaurant. Given the financial situation that BEST is in, this would make a lot of sense. Outsource the operations of a restaurant to a private agency, albeit with a stringent background check, unlike what the transport body is doing with its wet lease of buses. Let the maintenance of the buses itself remain under BEST’s purview. These dilapidated buses can be transformed into a vibrant, upscale cafe and BEST can ensure that it gets a rent or operations fee and a small percentage of the profits.

In 2020, during the pandemic, BEST’s younger sibling, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) undertaking had decided to upscale two disused buses into artistic mobile toilets. Then there was the case of the infamous “bus mall“ spotted on a bus owned by the Vasai-Virar Municipal Transport (VVMT) undertaking. BEST can easily transform its old buses and make something meaningful of them. Further, they need not pay for additional land by placing them on the premises of existing bus stations.

My belief in this idea stems from an episode of Popeye that I saw as as child. In it, after a fight with Bluto or Brutus, Popeye turns an old plane into an eating joint with stools next to the wings turning the wing into the table. As always, Wimpy comes and orders a hamburger, promising to pay him back the next Tuesday. I have been looking for this image online and even tried to get AI to generate the image, but forgive me, I am unable to get that.

Let us hope that the buses have not been scrapped in entirety and something can be done about them.

If you have any interesting suggestions, do drop a line in the comments section below. If you like this idea, do share this post with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and let him know!

Featured Image: A double-decker bus used as a restaurant (Concept Art/LeonardoAI)

Did You Know That BEST Buses Were Painted Green During World War II?

We’ve always associated buses of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking with red but did you know that there was a point when that was not the case? Over the years, we’ve seen some exceptions to the rule, such as the vestibule fleet that was yellow in colour, much like the current Tejaswini fleet for women. Similarly, the JCBL Cerita (erroneously referred to as Kinglong) was purple in colour (hence I referred to them as Purple Faeries) and the Tata Starbus Hybrid fleet was silver in colour. Of the six Volvo buses in its fleet, a few were orange while the rest were red, although only the front of the bus reflected this, given that advertising covered the sides as part of the acquisition deal. However, barring these, the fleet has pretty much been red. The same applied to trams too. However, there was one period when the buses were painted a different colour.

India was an active participant in both World War I and World War II as a part of the British Empire. As a result, Indian cities, especially the larger ones were at high risk of being attacked by the enemies. While electricity was yet to reach all parts of the city, public areas were often illuminated and buses and trams, being a bright-red colour were at constant risk of being targeted.

BEST's buses in the military green livery from 1941 to 1945. Image courtesy BEST — BEST’s buses in the military green livery from 1941 to 1945. Image courtesy BEST

Thanks to Shubham Padave, Yatin Pimpale for the information. Thanks to BEST for the image.

Featured Image: An AI-generated rendition of a BEST bus in military olive green; generated using Dall-E 3 on Bing.

You Can Now Track BEST Buses Live On Google Maps

In a move aimed to give commuters slight relief, buses of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking can now be tracked live on Google Maps. The service was launched by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

BEST will be using the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format developed by Google, which is an open-source format used for pulic transport schedules. Data will be available in Marathi, Hindi and English. BEST has been working with Google for the last two months and the mechanism is also integrated with timings of both Indian Railways and Mumbai Metro.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis with the Google team and DyCM Eknath Shinde (Pic tweeted by BEST on Twitter)

While this is overall a good move, there is a slight downside to it. Given the present circumstances and what happened over the last few years, it is imperative that local platforms are developed as alternatives to Google.

Readers may remember that under the Joe Biden administration, the United States of American imposed sanctions on Russia, leading to huge queues on the Moscow Metro when Google Pay and Apple Pay refused to work. Of course, Russia quickly developed its own ‘Faster Payments System’, based on the National Payment Card, but the damage was done. While India has ensured that payments won’t fail with the domestically developed RuPay-based NCMC, data sovereignty remains a critical factor, especially when it comes to maps and navigation. Do remember, in 1999, during the Kargil War, the United States under Bill Clinton refused to allow us to use GPS. Eventually, India developed its own range of navigation systems, from ISRO’s Bhuvan, to the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), also known as NavIC. We have domestic map suppliers such as MapMyIndia’s Mappls and Ola’s Krutim-powered maps.

Also Read: Stuck in Traffic: How I Might Have Averted a Major Jam

Featured Image: A composite image made by me. Logos copyright BEST and Google. Map Background by Luz Eugenia Velasquez on Vecteezy and the BEST bus vector by Samuel Sathiyanathan.

BEST Fare To Finally Be Revised

It’s official. The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is finally revising its fare after slightly over five years. And while most media publications are describing it as a ‘sharp’ or ‘significant hike’ it is isn’t all too bad. The new fare structure has got approval from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and is currently awaiting approval from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA). Officials say that the fare hike was unavoidable as the incumbent fare structure was too low and the undertaking was bleeding revenue. Prior to the fare reduction, the minimum fare in BEST’s non-AC buses was ₹8.

As per reports, the minimum fare would be doubled, essentially reaching the next fare stage of ₹10 for non-AC and ₹12 for AC buses.

The new fare structure is given below

Fare Stage	Non AC Fare	AC Fare
0-5km	₹10	₹12
5-10km	₹15	₹20
10-15km	₹20	₹30
15-20km	₹30	₹35
20-25km	₹35	₹40

The rates for weekly and monthly passes have also been raised. There will also be additional surcharges for leaving the limits of the municipal corporation and crossing toll plazas.

Featured Image: Conductor selling tickets with a Ticket Machine (Image animated using ChatGPT/OpenAI)

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Gives Nod For Redevelopment Of Bandra, Deonar And Dindoshi Depots

In what can only be termed as good news, Mahaarashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis has given a nod for the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) to redevelop three bus depots – Bandra, Deonar and Dindoshi – as part of a plan for the undertaking to generate additional revenue.

BEST has in the past redeveloped its existing land assets as part of plans to monetise them. Starting over 20 years ago, the Seven Bungalows (Saat Bangla) bus station was redeveloped as the ill-fated G7 shopping complex. A similar project began at the Marol Maroshi bus station. The once-dreaded Kurla depot which had been damaged in the 2005 floods was eventually redeveloped by Kanakia as Kanakia Zillion along with the Mahim and Versova-Yari Road (Vesave-Yari Road) bus stations as Kanakia Miami and Kanakia Hollywood respectively.

BEST officials also urged Fadnavis for a fare hike, but the Chief Minister asked them to put forth a formal proposal first.

The Bandra depot –which once also was home to a slaughterhouse in the vicinity – has had large amounts of land encroached upon. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) – BEST’s parent body – is simultaneously building an access road behind the depot to connect it to the Western Express Highway.

BEST’s redevelopment plans, however, have not been without controversy. At the site of the Mahim bus station, 1,000sqft of land was leased out to Fortpoint Automotive in 1993 and subsequently extended till 2018. In 2007, Parsvnath Developers was given the tender to remodel and redevelop the 2 acre plot at a cost of ₹22 crore. In 2010, Kanakia took over the project. In 2015, BEST terminated its lease with Fortpoint, which then went to court before getting a favourable ruling in 2017. Later that year, the MCGM asked for BEST to surrender the land that had earlier been leased out to Fortpoint as setback land – a prerequisite for granting of completion and occupation certificates for the tower coming up atop the bus station. At the site of the Marol Maroshi bus station, BEST had given the tender to KSL and Industries in 2008, who in turn subcontracted it to Dhruvi Properties, allegedly circumventing procedure. The matter came to light when property buyers approached the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA). Interestingly, one name that popped up was that of BEST’s former General Manager, Uttam Khobragade. To read more about his contributions to BEST, do read: The ‘BEST’ scamster Indians should know about – Congress and the Khobragades have a lot to explain.

Fadnavis urged officials to find feasible ways to increase the fleet strength of the undertaking, which has been dwindling over the last few years. It currently operates a mere 2,783 buses including both buses owned by the undertaking and on wet lease, down from 3,228 in 2023 and 4,608 in 2011. He advised officials to look for funds under the Centre’s National Clean Air Policy (NCAP). He also urged the MCGM to allocate at least 3% of its budget to BEST. He also said that BEST would soon sign an MoU with Google to give commuters real time updates for buses.

Also Read:

BEST To ‘Smarten’ Depots Across City With World Bank IFC Assistance
BEST Has A Problem That Needs To Be Solved, Writes A Transit Fan

Featured Image: Proposed redevelopment of Bandra Bus Depot (Image via Haldilal/Twitter)

Going Cashless On The Bus: Which Fares Better – NCMC Or UPI?

So, one interesting debate that has happened recently is the question of which is better on a bus – the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) or the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC).

Interestingly, a lot of people (who don’t seem to use public transport, as evident from their tone) believe that UPI is a far superior option. In fact, in one discussion on Twitter (I refuse to call it X), I was told by a self-described techbro that UPI is convenient as people have their phones handy and use UPI to buy chai and flowers, and specified that taking out the wallet to take out an additional card in a crowded bus was a burden and not advisable. Sure, but typing out my UPI PIN in front of 30 other people is kosher. Or making others wait while you enter your pin, and the transaction takes its time is absolutely alright.

But let us not digress. We’re now solely looking at which is better, NCMC or UPI. UPI is a great option if either you or the conductor does not have change (or cash for that matter) and you don’t have an NCMC as well. Conversely, if everyone is accepting NCMC and you have one, you can use it here too, right?

Now, in order to test this hypothesis (if you can call it one that is), I used both NCMC and UPI to buy tickets. I used the NCMC at two places: BEST in Mumbai and MTC in Chennai and UPI at two places: BMTC in Bengaluru and MTC in Chennai.

Note: If you want to buy a bus ticket on BEST with your phone, then you’ll need the Chalo app. You can buy tickets, passes and more on the app. Gandharva has covered it here: Chalo, Aage Badho: Getting Familiar With BEST’s New App For Tickets

Now, coming back to NCMC vs UPI.

Let’s start with NCMC. It’s easy to use. In most cases, you hand over the card, say NCMC or Metro Card and that gets the job done. With BEST, I was unsure if my RBL NCMC would work, the conductor reassured me by saying that “he’d make sure it worked”, while with MTC, I have told most conductors that it is a valid card and that I have used it before but eventually they accept it. The whole process is quick, takes about five seconds and is often faster than cash because the conductor does not have to count for change. There’s really not much to say because it is a fairly simple and straightforward process. The only time consuming part is to convince the conductor that the card is valid. This has happened with my RBL, Ongo and Airtel cards.

An NCMC ticket issued by BEST (Pic: BESTpedia)

The only issue is that the card needs to be topped up after 20 or so transactions (some lame protection feature apparently) and this happened with me recently. The conductor topped my card up for ₹0. Since my phone supports NFC, I figure the easiest workaround for this is to top up the card for smaller amounts, rather than loading it up for the entire ₹2000 that the card can support.

Another issue is that of the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR). Some transport companies charge extra for this, such as BEST, while most absorb it into their fares. Here is a quick breakdown of BEST’s MDR charges for different fare stages (Regular/Limited/Express/AC):
₹5 – 6 paise
₹10 – 11 Paise
₹15 – 16 paise
₹20- 22 paise
₹6- 7 paise
₹13- 14 paise
₹19- 21 paise
₹25- 27 paise

An NCMC ticket issued by MTC (Pic: BESTpedia)

Now, coming to UPI. This is where things get interesting. I’ve used two different methods of paying via UPI. One is with a static QR Code on BMTC and the other is with a dynamic QR Code on MTC.

A UPI ticket issued by BMTC (Pic: BESTpedia)

Now, the BMTC model is very simple. BMTC began accepting UPI payments in 2020, during the lockdown to reduce contact between passengers and commuters.
BMTC Finally Starts Cashless Ticketing, Uses UPI-Based QR Codes For Transactions
Each bus has its own virtual payment address (VPA, often erroneously referred to as UPI ID) which is the bus’ registration number attached to a Canara Bank Account; Eg: KA57Fxxxx@cnrb. QR Codes for the same are pasted in different parts of the bus, and in some cases, they are also present in the transparent grab handles of the bus.

BMTC QR Code Sticker on the bus (Pic: BESTpedia)

In my case, neither the conductor, nor I had change, so he told me to scan the QR Code and pay. I did, showed him the successful transaction screen and he issued the ticket. This method is extremely popular with passengers using it for as low as ₹5. However, there seems to be no way for the conductor to validate the payment. However, since the ticket machine being used is a standard Pine Labs point-of-sale device, maybe it appears there. This being said, it is high time that BMTC and Canara Bank adopted the NCMC. The process is reasonably fast, although it depends on how fast your internet connection is and multiple people can pay simultaneously making it relatively faster than dynamic QR Codes.

A UPI ticket issued by MTC (Pic: BESTpedia)

Now, coming to the Dynamic QR Code. Here, the conductor has four options on the ETM – Card, UPI, NCMC and Cash. When the conductor selects UPI, it generates a dynamic code that one scans and makes the payment. This is time consuming since it also depends on the speed of the internet on the ETM as well. Only after the QR Code is generated, can you make the payment. Thus, the total time taken to print the ticket takes close to 10-15 seconds. A downside according to me is that the QR Code appeared as invalid on MobiKwik, forcing me to use GPay. The QR Code must be compatible with all payment apps under NPCI’s BharatQR system.

MTC QR Code displayed on the ETM (Pic: BESTpedia)

Overall, it seems that the NCMC is ahead, but let me share two instances that make it the clear winner.

The first instance. A few weeks back, I was traveling to Bangalore. Now recently I have been getting off at Shanthinagar TTMC (Atal Bihari Vajpayee TTMC ) and taking a bus back home. I usually pay by cash but on this day, I had only a ₹500 note on me. This was the week after I first used UPI to buy a ticket. Unfortunately for me, my phone battery ran out, and for some reason, my phone refused to charge, either from my battery pack or from the USB port on the bus. (The cable was at fault, I bought a new one). Which meant that without a phone, I had to pay in cash, which was also a problem since I didn’t have change. Eventually I managed to make change at a shop inside the terminal, albeit the shopkeeper gave it to me grudgingly.

The second instance is a more recent one. On 12 April, UPI services faced a five-hour long outage. This was the longest in over three years and one of four such outages over a three week span.

Now, both these instances were unprecedented and of course problematic.

So, what could be the solution? Going back to the Card? Maybe. At least with Transit.

UPI was introduced to ensure that transactions were conducted domestically, therefore reducing their costs. But then, NCMC is entirely built atop the RuPay platform which operates domestically, unlike Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover.

This is not to put down UPI however. It is a fantastic platform. However, in cases like public transport, which experiences high volume density of transactions, it makes more sense to use the NCMC.

What are your thoughts? Do let me know in the comments section below.

Recommended Reading: The Best Interface is No Interface by Golden Krishna

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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History

Journey

Conclusion

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