We’ve all read Harry Potter. We’ve all seen the movies as well. In the third book, The Prisoner of Azkaban, we are introduced to the Knight Bus, a triple-decker bus. However, this variety of buses aren’t just a figment of a fantasy writer’s (I’m talking about J. K. Rowling) imagination, but did exist, but just not in the form that we’ve imagined.
Presenting, the triple-decker bus!
Built in 1932, the first triple-decker bus was made in Italy. While not much is known about the manufacturer, it ran between Rome and Tivoli and carried 88 passengers. The third level was essentially a smoking compartment and the bus had space for 440 pounds (200 kg) of luggage and space for dogs. It was 33.5 feet long and 11 feet wide and had a speed of 28 miles per hour (45 km per hour).
According to the Museum of Hoaxes, a second such bus was designed in the 1950s by the General American Aerocoach Corporation. This bus was similar to its Italian counterpart, that is the third level wasn’t much of a level. Here is an image of that bus.
GAAC’s Triple Decker
Fun fact, a video was uploaded on YouTube with a picture of a BEST Triple-Decker. This was essentially a Double-Decker photoshopped to have a third level. The uploader was obviously a prankster for they claim to have been shocked when they saw it outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and shot a video of it. (This was in 2013).
The closest we’ve ever got to making a real Triple-Decker bus, was the Knight Bus in Harry Potter. It was made by taking apart the upper deck of a London AEC Regent III RT bus and grafting it atop another such bus. Below is a picture by Robert Clarke.
In 1926, a German magazine called Echo Continental which was the trade magazine of German automobile parts manufacturer Continental AGpublished a picture of a triple-decker bus. Sadly, it was on 1 April. Here is an image of that bus.
Triple Decker Bus from Echo Continental
So, will we ever see a Triple Decker Bus? Maybe. You never know, but someday, we might just see one. Till then, you can have fun on a Double Decker bus.
With a new Quarantine Bingo challenge floating around Instagram, it wasn’t long before transit freaks joined the game. There are numerous such challenges floating around. The Railfanning group so far has the maximum number of challenges.
Are you game? Go for it. Download the image, mark out whatever you’ve achieved and share it on your Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Whatsapp, everywhere. ЁЯЩВ
The BEST Quarantine Challenge
A special thanks to Pakaj for sharing this image with me on Instagram. You can follow Pankaj @_____pankaj____16.
Note: Picture Credits: Rupak Dhakate. You can follow Rupak on Instagram @mlv.rupak.
Nostalgia season isn’t over for me as of now, so here’s another post for you on them dreaded Purple Faeries.
Given that these buses were rarely used to their full potential, actually wait, they were, it’s just that their potential was that low. Hmmmmm. Anyway, let’s look at some novel uses these buses could have been put to.
Social Distancing
These buses made Social Distancing “Cool” way back in time. They’d have been perfect in the current crisis thanks to the Wuhan Virus.
Blast from the past!
This is from 10 April 2015. A-8 Express from Backbay Depot to Mithagar (Mulund) via the Eastern Freeway.
Bus is so empty, it made #SocialDistancing cool. Except the bus itself wasn't that cool due to bad air-conditioning.
As you can see, the Bus is nearly empty. This A-8 Express from Backbay Depot to Mithagar in Mulund (East) was boarded by me on 10 April 2015. There was one other passenger and I actually took out my laptop and watched a part of Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog on YouTube. Clearly we maintained the required gap, and all that. Of course, if anyone coughed in the air, well the air conditioning was so dead-beat, it wouldn’t spread much.
Hospital Beds Maybe?
In order to provide more beds for treatment during the ongoing Wuhan Virus outbreak, Indian Railways decided to convert some of their trains into isolation wards.
Indian Railways is ready with the first set of isolation wards in trains! Extremely agile approach by Indian Railways. pic.twitter.com/OIAz8tQmSz
This is something that the Purple Faeries can easily do. They ran empty. They made losses. Hence they were leased out to Air India to ferry passengers. Imagine getting off a a nice Boeing 787 Dreamliner only to board THIS!
A Ceritra on loan to Air India at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai (Prateek Karandikar/Wikimedia Commons)
It’s a Science Experiment
Taking this classic dialogue from the 1990 science fiction blockbuster Back To The Future Part III, when Doc Brown says this to the motorman of the steam locomotive prior to hijacking it.
The Purple Faeries just struggle to move. Plus they’re heavy. I guess, if they’re stationary, they can probably be construed as an immovable object. Now all we need to find is an unstoppable force. Perhaps one bus can be taken from the Magathane Depot and one from the Oshiwara Depot? Or we just get a Volvo with a reinforced outer body like KITT from Knight Rider? After all, most of us came across the Irresistible Force Paradox from the Season 1 episode Trust Doesn’t Rust, right? Except that while it was quoted correctly тАУ “What happens when an unstoppable object meets an immovable object?” тАУ it was wrongly referred to as Zeno’s Paradox.
Or even better, going by this picture clicked by Shreyas Kulkarni, one can see the angaar, aka the unstoppable object which is the Tata Starbus and the bhangaar, aka the immovable object, which is the Cerita (now available in a non-AC variant at a bus stop near you!).
Go Go Go Golmaal: Rent It Out For A Rohit Shetty Film
These buses catch fire, break down, struggle to climb slopes and what not. Perhaps they can be rented out to Rohit Shetty’s production team. Actually they’d have to be sold to them given how many vehicles Shetty blows up in each of his movies. Remember, they earlier leased out their buses to Reliance to ferry passengers to Imagica. I can only imagine the ride from CSMT to Imagica. That’s like a roller coaster combined with being inside one of those flying cars from a Rohit Shetty movie. The bus is struggling to climb the slope on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the suspension is not up to the mark, the air-conditioning is giving way. It’s kinda like how Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) makes Philip Davidson (Sterling K Brown) uncomfortable in the Season 5 episode The Box in Brooklyn Nine-Nine by turning on the heat, adjusting a chair leg, making the table sticky and all. The silver lining is that once you’re through with this ordeal, you can enjoy yourself at Imagica, but will you have the heart for it? Not sure. The lead lining is that you’ll have a live repeat telecast of the entire thing on your way home.
I’m reasonably certain this is what the bus would look like after a Rohit Shetty film.
You know what the most annoying thing about a garbage truck is? They keep spilling the garbage all over the city. Their job is to collect garbage, not spread it around, yet it seems to be what they do all the time. But no, these buses could have been converted to garbage buses instead. Of course, we need to ensure that the garbage enters from the rear and exits through the front door only where the second door exists. It’ll still leak, but not as much as from a garbage truck.
What’d I tell you? See, it looks worthy of being a garbage bus no?
A Club for shady stuff
Back in the day when I was studying in Coimbatore, I was told that the city and its eponymous district accounted for the lion’s share in mushroom cultivation in India. Of course, the mushrooms I’m talking about here are the edible variety. Of course, in this example, I’m talking of the “other” variety, aka ‘shrooms.
Now, if you’re wondering why I bring this up, just take a look at this wonderful photograph that Shreyas Kulkarni shared in 2016.
If you, like me are bored, then welcome to this post.
As many of you may have known, I had quite a fascination for BEST’s Cerita fleet, which some of you know as the Kinglong fleet. These Purple Faeries, however bad they were just fascinated me, because well, I found them cool.
I did, back in 2015-16 try my best (pun intended) to upload as many pictures of them possible on to the Wikimedia Commons. You can check it out by clicking here.
Now, I shall share with you a lot of images of these buses, on one specific route: AS-700 between Borivali Railway Station (East) and Thane Railway Station (West)/Kopri. Be prepared for the onslaught.
The first of these images is the featured image that you saw at the top of this post. That is a picture of an AS-700 belonging to the Mulund Depot parked at Borivali Station (East).
This is an AS-700 belonging to the Magathane Depot operating between Magathane Depot and Thane Station (East). This picture was clicked north of the National Park flyover by Kunal Jadhav.
This is AS-700, once again belonging to the Magathane Depot en route Thane Railway Station (East), clicked bu Kunal Jadhav.
Another AS-700 of the Magathane Depot, once again headed to Thane from Magathane Depot. A fabulous click by Kunal Jadhav, this was clicked on Ghodbunder Road (State Highway 42) just after taking a turn at Fountain Hotel. You can see the reflection of IRB’s Thane Ghodbunder Toll Road Private Limited (TGTRPL)’s Toll Plaza in the windscreen of the bus.
Clicked once again by Kunal Jadhav, this AS-700 is headed to Borivali Station (East) from Thane (Kopri) and belongs to the Mulund Depot. This picture was clicked on Ghodbunder Road and judging by the slope and the curve behind the bus, I’d say it was taken at Kaju Pada/Chena Gaon.
A lone AS-700 waits at Borivali Station (East). Clicked by Kunal Jadhav, no other details are visible in the picture.
This is yet another AS-700 parked at Borivali Station (East) bound for Thane. The bus belongs to the Mulund Depot, its LED display wasn’t functional and the route was written on the front left side of the windshield in chalk, above the CNG sticker. Picture clicked by Akshay BEST.
Here is another bus image clicked by Akshay BEST. I’m assuming this bus is turning into the Magathane Depot and thus, belongs to the same.
Note: Thanks to Akshay for clarifying that this bus was actually taking a turn from the Depot and headed to Borivali Station.
Another click by Akshay BEST, I’m not sure if this bus is running on AS-700 or AS-524, both of which started from Borivali Station (East) and had buses operating out of the Magathane Depot.
Thanks to Akshay for clarifying that this bus was an AS-700 only.
Clicked by Binai Sankar, this shows a BEST Cerita and a TMT Volvo parked together at Thane Station. The Cerita belongs to the Mulund Depot.
Here is an AS-700 at Borivali, belonging to the Mulund Depot. It had just received a fresh coat of paint.
Here is a bunch of them parked at Mahathane Depot to get refuelled.
This bus, affectionately titled Ugly Duckling by Akshay is an AS-700 parked at Borivali. It was covered with Vinyl ads (see the image below) earlier and has been peeled off.
And last but not least. AS-700 with full body vinyl ads belonging to the Mulund Depot. The bus number is 1234.
Note, all images credited to Akshay BEST and Akshay Buses belong to Akshay Marathe (not to be confused with the Aam Aadmi Party’s Akshay Marathe).
So far, that’s about the BEST I could get. Stay tuned to more inanities.
In case you’re wondering by the bus operates from different starting points, BEST did that quite often. Here is a snapshot.
Among the reasons why BEST failed with its Cerita/Kinglong Purple Faeries was bad frequency.
This is for AS-700, a route almost on par with a railway line.
Last week, trains, buses, metro all were operating at half capacity.
BEST banned standees, while the metro asked people to sit in alternative seats. They also then reduced services by half.
ЁЯЩПMumbaikars are requested not to travel standing in the BEST buses from tomorrow onwards as a preventive measure against the prevailing #COVID19 situation in the city. #bestupdates#Mumbai
Because it leads to overcrowding because not all people could work from home.
Plus, many were trying to get home.
Abandon! The attempt to lock down due to #CoronavirusOutbreak is having an opposite effect. More crowding at stations as people are swarming trains to leave the City of Dreams -Mumbai, going back to native places. Railways running special one-way trains to facilitate them now… pic.twitter.com/DazO1PtkcW
Note: This was before a complete lockdown happened.
Featured Image: Closed section near the driver’s cab from the interior in trolleybus 8010 on Line 74 in Budapest, at “├Цtvenhatosok tere” trolleybus station. The section of the trolleybus near the driver’s cab is closed to protect the driver from the threat of coronavirus infection. (Vauia Rex/ Estonian Wikipedia)
In the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, our transcos have gotten aggressive in cleaning up their vehicles for better safety of passengers.
Indian Railways on its part has gone straight to announcing that it would no longer issue blankets to AC passengers and has asked them to bring their own.
Reliance Infrastructure-led Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) issued an advisory followed by a thorough scrubbing of trains.
The Railways’ have also set up infrared temperature scanners.
Well, @Central_Railway Mumbai puts up infra-red temperature scanners at entry point of four railway stations in city from today– CSMT, Thane, Dadar and Kalyan. Will be voluntary, not compulsory. @mid_daypic.twitter.com/7LZuxiaKyh
While most people have carefully chosen to refer to the virus as Coronavirus or Novel Coronavirus and made claims that calling it Wuhan Virus is racist, it isn’t. Outbreaks have for long been named after geographical regions. Examples include Ebola, named after the Ebola river, Lyme disease, named after Lyme, Connecticut, the Spanish Flu, Hong Kong Flu and of course, Delhi Belly.
Another Addendum:
The Ministry of Health, Vietnam has released a very catchy song about washing hands. Do take a look here.
NOTE: This is an outdated list. For the latest AC routes, please download the Chalo App.
BEST is launching newer AC buses with each week. Here is a list of all the AC buses that they operate.
Regular Routes: Mini/Midi buses using Force Motors/ Tata Marcopolo CNG/BYD Olectra buses
A-4 Andheri Station (West) to Oshiwara Depot/Goregaon Depot A-3 Vijay Vallabh Chowk (Pydhonie) to Jijamata Udyan via Johar Chowk, Mazgaon, Byculla Station (East) A-32 Goregaon Bus Station (West) to Aai Tuljabhavai Chowk/Lokhandwala Complex Junction/Infiniti Mall A-33 Seven Bunglows Bus Station/Saat Bangla to Oshiwara/Goregaon Depot A-42 Sandhurst Road Station to Pandit Paluskar Chowk (Opera House) via S.V.P Road A-63 Byculla Station (West) to Breach Candy Hospital A-77 Byculla Station (West) to Breach Candy Hospital via Mahalaksmi Station, Haji Ali A-101 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk/Museum A-102 Grant Road Station (East) to Vijay Vallabh Chowk (Pydhonie) A-104 Grant Road Station to J Mehta Marg A-105 Grant Road Station (West) to Kamala Nehru Park A-110 Wadala Station (West) to Sangam Nagar (Vidyalankar) A-111 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk/Museum A-112 Churchgate Station/Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk to Gateway of India A-122 Churchgate Station/Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk to Ballard Pier A-153 Bycull Station (West) to Vasantrao Naik Chowk (Tardeo) via Saat Rasta, Mumbai Central A-155 Grant Road Station (West) Ring Route via Tardeo, Haji Ali, Jaslok Hospital Cumbala Hill Post Office, August Kranti Maidan, Nana Chowk A-157 Grant Road Station (West) to Cumbala Hill Post Office via August Kranti Maidan A-163 Parel Station (East) to Prabodhankar Thackeray Udyan Bus Station (Sewree) A-167 Prabhadevi Station (West) to Comrade P. K. Kurne Chowk/Worli Doordarshan A-170 Prabhadevi Station (West) to Lower Parel Railway Station (West) A-174 Wadala Station (East) to Bharani Naka A-180 Oshiwara Depot/Goegaon Depot to Jogeshwari Bus Station A-203 Andheri Station (West) to Juhu Bus Station A-210 Versova Yari Road Bus Station to Monginis A-211 Bandra Station (West) to Chuim Village A-214 Bandra Station (West) to Mount Mary Steps A-217 Dadar Station (East) Ring Route via KEM Hospital A-217 Dadar Station (East) to KEM Hospital A-219 Bandra Station (West) to Bandra Reclamation Bus Station A-220 Bandra Station (West) to Sherly Village A-221 Andehri Station (West) to Natasha Towers A-234 Jogeshwari Bus Station to Shree Swami Samarth Nagar A-235 Andheri Station (West) to Monginis A-248 Andheri Station (West) to Ramesh Nagar A-249 Andheri Station (West) to Seven Bunglows Bus Station A-251 Seven Bunglows Bus Station to Versova Yari Road Bus Station A-252 Andheri Station (West) to Sardar Vallabhai Patel Nagar (Mhada Layout) A-254 Andheri Station (West) to Veera Desai Road (Extension) A-257 Andheri Station (West) Ring Route via Juhu Vile Parle Bus Station (JVPD Bus Station) A-260 Oshiwara Depot to Indian Oil Nagar (D. N. Nagar Metro Station) A-266 Andheri Station (West) to Swami Samarth Nagar Circle A-268 Andheri Station (West) to Shree Swami Samarth Nagar A-273 Malad Station (West) to Malvani Block No 5 A-302 Rani Lakshmi Chowk (Sion) to Maharana Pratap Chowk/Mulund Check Naka A-312 Rani Lakhsmi Chowk (Sion) to Pratiksha Nagar Depot A-337 Agarkar Chowk to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Terminal 2 A-338 Agarkar Chowk to Sahar Cargo Complex A-341 Rani Laksmi Chowk (Sion) to Antop Hill Bus Station A-352 Rani Lakshmi Chowk (Sion) to Trombay A-361 Chembur Colony to Mahul Village via Vashi Naka A-362 Deonar Depot to Kurla Station (East) A-363 Chembur Colony to SRA Colony (Mahul) A-367 Chembur Colony to Gadkari Quary A-369 Chembur Colony to MMRDA Colony/Vashi Naka A-372 Anushakti Nagar to Shivaji Nagar Junction A-441 Agarkar Chowk to Mhada Colony (Majas) A-447 Goregaon Station (East) to Santosh Nagar (Extension) A-451 Goregaon Station (East) to Adarsh Nagar (Aarey) A-452 Goregaon Station (East) to Mayur Nagar A-481 Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyan, Chembur to MMRDA Colony, Vashi Naka A-624 Malad Station (East) Poddar Park to Anand Nagar/Appa Pada A-646 Goregaon Station (East) to Nagari Niwara 1&2 via IT Park
BKC Routes: MMRConnect Buses using Tata Starbus Hybrid buses
BKC-10 BKC Telephone Exchange to Borivali Railway Station (East)
BKC-11 Bandra Railway Termninus to Hiranandani Estate (Thane West)
BKC-12 Bandra Railway Terminus To Jalvayu Vihar (Kharghar)
BKC-13 Bandra Railway Terminus to Maharana Pratap Chowk/Mulund Check Naka Bus Station
BKC-16 Agarkar Chowk to SEEPZ Village
BKC-21 Bandra (East) Bus Station to Bharat Diamond Bourse
BKC-22 MMRDA Pay and Park (BKC) to Kurla Station (West)
BKC-23 Bandra (East) Bus Station to C.A Institute (BKC)
NMMT AC Buses (only those entering Mumbai city limits)
AC-103 Panvel Railway Station (West) to Hindamata Cinema (Dadar) AC-105 Bandra Railway Station (West) to CBD Belapur Bus Station AC-107 World Trade Centre to CBD Belapur Bus Station (via Eastern Freeway) AC-108 World Trade Centre to Nerul Sector 46/48 AC-110 World Trade Centre to Jalvayu Vihar (Kharghar) AC-111 World Trade Centre to CBD Belapur Bus Station (via Parel, Dadar) AC-115 World Trade Centre to Kharkopar Railway Station AC-121 World Trade Centre to Gansoli/Gharona AC-123 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Owe Gaon/CISF AC-124 Agarkar Chowk to Karave Nagar, Nerul AC-125 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Asud Depot AC-126 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Panvel Railway Station (West) AC-127 Ghatkopar Station (East) to Vashi Railway Station AC-131 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Ghansoli Depot
TMT AC Buses (only those entering Mumbai city limits)
AC-65 Borivali Railway Station (East) to Thane Station (East)/Kopri AC-125 Agarkar Chowk to Kasarvadavali Naka AC-126 Reserve Bank of India (BKC) to Hiranandani Estate (Patlipada) AC-144 Cadbury Junction to Mantralaya
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Four months after BEST began A-251 at Andheri Station (West), it finally began services in Andheri (East). BEST announced three routes A-337, A-338 and A-441 from Agarkar Chowk on 9 March.
ЁЯУврдирд╡реАрди рд╡рд╛рддрд╛рдиреБрдХреБрд▓реАрдд рдорд┐рдиреА рдмрд╕ рдорд╛рд░реНрдЧЁЯЪН рдП-рейрейрен рдЖрдЧрд░рдХрд░ рдЪреМрдХ(рдЕрдВрдзреЗрд░реА рдкреВрд░реНрд╡) рддреЗ рдЫрддреНрд░рдкрддреА рд╢рд┐рд╡рд╛рдЬреА рдорд╣рд╛рд░рд╛рдЬ рдЖрдВрддрд░рд░рд╛рд╖реНрдЯреНрд░реАрдп рд╡рд┐рдорд╛рдирддрд│ рдмрд╕ рд╕реЗрд╡рд╛ рд╕реБрд░реВ рдкрд╣рд┐рд▓реА рдмрд╕ :рем.режреж рд╢реЗрд╡рдЯрдЪреА:реирей.режреж NEW AC BUS ROUTE A-337-Agarkar Chk to T-2 @CSMIA_official First: 6.00hrs :Last:23.00hrs Frequency:10mts#bestupdates#Andheri
A-337 connects Agarkar Chowk to Terminal 2 (Sahar Terminal) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). It mirrors the regular 337 that goes along the same route. This marks a return of BEST’s AC buses to the international terminal. The last bus was A-1 Express using the Purple Faeries than ran from CBD Belapur Bus Station in Navi Mumbai to the airport nearly a decade ago.
ЁЯУврдирд╡реАрди рд╡рд╛рддрд╛рдиреБрдХреБрд▓реАрдд рдорд┐рдиреА рдмрд╕ рдорд╛рд░реНрдЧЁЯЪН рдП-рейрейрео:рдЖрдЧрд░рдХрд░ рдЪреМрдХ(рдЕрдВрдзреЗрд░реА рдкреВ) рддреЗ рд╕рд╣рд╛рд░ рдХрд╛рд░реНрдЧреЛ рд╕рдВрдХреБрд▓ рдмрд╕ рд╕реЗрд╡рд╛ рд╕реБрд░реВ рдкреНрд░рд╕реНрдерд╛рдирдВрддрд░:резреж рдореА. рдкрд╣рд┐рд▓реА рдмрд╕:рем.режреж, рд╢реЗрд╡рдЯрдЪреА:реирей.режреж NEW AC ROUTE A-338 :-Agarkar chowk to Sahar Cargo Complex First bus: 6.00 hrs :Last bus:23.00 hrs#bestupdates#Andheri@CSMIA_Official
The third bus that BEST launched is A-441. This runs from Agarkar Chowk to Mhada Colony (Majas). It partly mirrors 441 which runs from Agarkar Chowk till Majas Depot, five stops more. The reason it doesn’t run up to Majas Depot is because that fall under the next fare zone and as I had explained in an earlier post, BEST is currently only looking at single-fare stage operations right now.
Among these three, A-441 will be a significant one since it connects towards Majas and traverses Nagardas Road. Perhaps BEST can launch AC services from Jogeshwari Station (East) or Satbhakti Mandir since that falls under the тВ╣6 fare zone.
Here are some pictures from Twitter user Akshay Marathe (note; Akshay Marathe, the transport enthusiast is not to be confused with another Akshay Marathe who is an Aam Aadmi Party member) and Shubham Padave.
While this is a good start, both Akshay and I agree that these mini-buses are not the best for Andheri East, larger buses are needed. BEST is as of now still operating BKC-16 as an air-conditioned version of 415 from Agarkar Chowk to SEEPZ Village using the Tata Starbus Hybrid Fleet. It operates with conductors.
With this launch, there are now four AC bus routes from Agarkar Chowk operating in three directions from the region. BKC-16 operates along Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road/Andheri Kurla Road/Sir Mathurdas Vasanji Road till Chakala after which it turns towards Mahakali Caves Road/MIDC/SEEPZ. A-337 and A-338 operate along Sahar Road. A-441 goes towards Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road.
The postvans used in Andheri (East) are leased from Hansa City Bus (HCB) belonging to the Marol Depot. HCB is also the lessor for buses operating in Andheri (West), Jogeshwari (West) and Goregaon (East) with buses belonging to the Oshiwara and Dindoshi Depots. I’ve earlier noticed several buses in Andheri (West) operate using buses from the Marol Depot. Strangely, BEST’s A-32 that operates from Goregaon Bus Station (West) to Infinity Mall (Lokhandwala) also uses buses from the Marol Depot.
I also took a mini at Bandra (West) last week. Those are a bit confusing because the routes A-211, A-214, A-219 and A-220 are confusing. BEST has also stopped using the Hybrid fleet on AS-220. The buses are operated by MP Enterprises and Associates (MPG) out of the Bandra Depot.
Just to remind you, this is what the Tata Hybrid fleet looks like:
BEST’s Tata Starbus Diesel-Electic Hybrid Bus of the Dharavi Depot on Route A-72 at Salvation Church (Karthik nadar/Twitter)
This post is dedicated to Nirav Kanodra with whom I’ve had numerous discussions on best solving transit issues. You can follow Nirav on Twitter @niravstoons.
Featured image: Flex-board announcing A-441 (Shubham Padave/Twitter)
In all my recent posts, I’ve been referring to BEST’s new fleet of mini-buses as Postvans. The reason is simple. They look like India Post’s red post vans. In fact, at Andheri West, the Andheri Railway Station Post Office is located on SV Road, next to the junction with JP Road. It is not uncommon to see postal vans parked outside McDonalds where the bus stop is located. I once stood next a post van without realising that it was a post van and not an A-257.
Yesterday, I spotted two vehicles back to back and took a quick video of it. Now you’ll see what I mean.
Back in 2015, a friend of mine had nicknamed the old Cerita fleet ‘Purple Duds’. For some reason, I nicknamed them ‘Purple Faeries’. In case you’re wondering, those buses weren’t faeries at all. Note; faerie is an old, archaic spelling of fairy. They were clunky, noisy, monstrosities. But the name stuck.
A quick Google search for Purple Faeries Mumbai will throw up image results for the BEST Cerita fleet and other images from this blog. Make sure you select “Search for Purple Faeries” since Google will try searching for “Purple Fairies“.
On 16 November 2019, BEST launched the first of what would be a super successful venture that was replicated across the city. It launched the first AC minibus (them postvans, aka chhotu in some circles) without a conductor, on Route A-251 from Andheri Station (West) to Seven Bungalows Bus Station.
ЁЯУвNEW AC BUS SERVICE ЁЯУв Commuters can now have an experience of BEST AC bus service from Andheri West from today. Routes A-251 has commenced operation between Andheri Station (W) and Seven Bungalows . #bestupdatespic.twitter.com/jYcgLvF2LH
The route was a big hit, prompting BEST to launch a slew of similar routes in Andheri (West) before gradually expanding to Jogeshwari (West), Goregaon (East), Wadala (West), Dadar (East), Prabhadevi (West), Churchgate, Byculla (West), Mahalaksmi, Grant Road (West) and ultimately Goregaon (West). It also antagonised auto-rickshaws at Andheri because, well, it was cheap.
Shortly after that BEST launched A-249. It was identical to A-251 in its route, and had the same single stop at Four Bungalows. I even asked BEST what the difference was on Twitter, but got no response.
Hi @myBESTBus, what is the difference between A-249 and A-251? Both seem to go from Andheri (West) to Seven Bungalows with a stop at Four Bungalows.
Also, what is the difference between A-235 and A-242, both seem to go from Andheri (West) to Monginis. @Lokhandwala_Bom
Then, on 6 December 2019, BEST announced that A-249 will have an additional stop at Dhake Colony while A-251 will only run between Seven Bungalows Bus Station [Saat Bangla] and Versova-Yari Road Bus Station [Vesave-Yari Marg].
This startled many. My transit group wondered why BEST couldn’t run A-251 directly from Versova-Yari Road to Andheri. I had my suspicions but they were finally confirmed today.
The distance between the two, by the direct route: Versova-Yari Road Bus Station -> Versova Village -> Seven Bungalows -> Four Bungalows -> Andheri Sports Complex -> Amboli Village -> Andheri Subway -> Andheri Station is 6.3km while in the reverse direction it is 5.8km.
Note: Despite what Google Maps says, JP Road from Navarang Cinema to SV Road has been a one-way towards the West for over two decades now. Even in 1998, I remember 251 (then a Double Decker) taking a left into Amboli.
This distance puts the route into the next stage bracket; i.e: тВ╣13.
Yesterday (11 February 2020), BEST announced a new route A-32 from Goregaon Station (West) to Aai Tuljabhavani Chowk/Lokhandwala Complex Junction (Infiniti Mall signal). I responded to them asking why not extend it to Monginis since that is such a big hub with four AC routes stopping there: A-210, A-235, A-260 and A-268. They responded as follows:
Presently One man operation is restricted upto 5 kms i.e fare value of Rs 5 only.
BEST needs to add an additional AC route in this region. Say, A-250. Neither 250 nor A-250 exist at this point. That gives us four AC buses at Seven Bungalows: A-249, A-251, A-210 and this new route. A-249 can continue on the existing route that it has with two stops between Andheri and Seven Bungalows. The new route can service what A-251 currently does, by plying between Seven Bungalows and Versova Yari Road.
A-251 meanwhile should mirror the regular 251 and ply non-stop between Versova-Yari Road and Andheri Station with a single fare of тВ╣13. That’s it. The auto-fare on this route is in the range of тВ╣70-80 minimum, plus time taken due to traffic. It will be a huge hit.
The second solution, is a slightly more interesting one.
BEST had gotten 6 out of 50 buses as part of a deal with a company called Asian Concierge. While nobody knows why the remaining 44 never made it to BEST nor what happened to Asian Concierge (Tofler reports its last annual general meeting or AGM in September 2018 and last balance sheet as having been prepared in March 2018), those six buses are still parked at the Oshiwara Depot, according to Google Earth. You might want to click on the tweet to see the full image. The buses are the long red-topped ones with a white box, located towards the bottom left of the depot, north of the Oshiwara river.
Asian Concierge's six Volvo Buses leased to BEST are still parked at the Oshiwara Depot. pic.twitter.com/IAwzX5bbk6
This map is from 15 October 2019. Google Earth’s timeline view shows that between 2017 and 2019, these six buses were parked at various parts of the depot.
While we are uncertain as to why BEST is not using these buses, it can perhaps ply them as a regular AC bus AS-251 with a conductor from Andheri Station to Versova-Yari Road. Their only issue: They’re all single-door buses. The Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association even asked BEST why they were not in use but we got no reply.
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