A while back the internet was flooded with a video of a bus with a scrolling display that read Madarchod Sukheja. However, it seems that the incident has quite a backstory to it.
According to reports, the bus is owned by Sukheja Travels, owned by one Satish Sukheja and plies on the Satna-Indore route in Madhya Pradesh. Apparently, neither the driver nor Sukheja were aware of the expletive on the bus’ display till people noticed it and alerted them to it. Accordingly, Anil Kumar Pathak, the company’s manager filed a case with the Kolgawan Police Station in Satna.
So what happened?
A while back, one employee named Salman Khan was hired by Sukheja as a bus driver. However, it soon came to light that Khan had trouble driving post evenings and wore high-powered glasses. Sukheja questioned the transport department for issuing him a licence in such a condition, his licence did not show his glasses in the photograph. Subsequently Khan was offered to drive a four-wheeler instead but that didn’t pan out and after a month of employment, he was let go off. In his complaint, Pathak stated that only Khan had the password for the LED display unit for the bus in question (MP 19 P 7782) and thus it was evident that he was the one who tampered with it.
Since then, the story has gone viral over the internet with most people (including me) laughing it off as a practical joke but once knowing what the real story was, it is a little sad. It also speaks volumes about our driving licence regimes and that something must be done to rectify it. It also talks about the dangers of leaving the bus display controls open to potential misuse as they could be used for a wide variety of purposes.
Sukheja is looking at recovering ₹55,000 from Khan for a possible malfunctioning display.
Your commute could soon become better (or even BEST, pun intended) as the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has begun the process of calling for tenders for agencies to supply electric cabs with drivers (also known as a wet lease) for last-mile connectivity in Mumbai. According to an article written for the Times of India by Somit Sen, the agency will provide cabs on an ‘aggregator basis’ on a revenue-sharing model with the agency providing the vehicles and staff and thus keep BEST’s capital expenditure at zero. The article also mentions that the agency will provide fuel, which is kind of odd given that these are electric vehicles. The cabs will be electrified.
Users who want to book then can book them using BEST’s Chalo App, and fares will be on par with other aggregators including Ola and Uber. A user can plan a -multi-modal journey using both cabs and buses.
Although unrelated, BEST also recently procured 16 electric Tata cars for its staff to use.
An important question arises: If the private partner is providing the fuel, to be read as paying for electricity, then what about the charging? Will the undertaking open up its charging infrastructure at various depots and bus stations for these vehicles?
An interesting point to note: Fellow transit-enthusiast Kundan Srivastav had explained (in detail) a similar concept where public transport agencies such as BEST could tie-up with private partners to operate taxis under a common brand name way back in 2020 during the early stages of the lockdown. I hope he may write an article on it some day. Please do follow Kundan on Twitter, @kun_srivastav.
An even more interesting thing to note. A year ago, in August 2021, a badly photoshopped picture of a red Volkswagen Polo with BEST’s logo on it made the rounds on social media, purporting to be BEST’s new electric taxi service. BEST clarified it to be fake news. You can read more about it here: Fake News Alert: BEST Is Not Launching Electric Taxis.
In what can only be deemed a major embarrassment for the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) of Chennai, crewmembers belonging to the Chromepet Depot (CR/CW) were found to have disconnected the vehicle tracking devices and skipping interior regions in mini-bus routes. These buses, operating as “Small Bus” are generally operated as feeder services from metro, railway and bus stations to interior regions where the patronage is low.
According to a report in the Times of India, the issue came to light when residents of Chitlapakkam were unable to track the bus S100 that runs from Tambaaram to Chennai International Airport Metro Station. In May 2022, transport minister SS Sivashankar had launched the Chennai Busapp, developed in partnership with Chalo. MTC staff were reported to have disconnected the tracking devices in their bus and then skipped some regions altogether, thus leading to long waiting times. Officials of both the MTC and the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) warned the staff and even deputed officials on the buses to ensure that they did not skip any stops or routes.
This brings about an important question. What are we to do when services are being sabotaged by the staff themselves? A general warning is not good enough. There has to be serious consequences. A lack of pay or suspension without pay or even termination of employment would ideally make the best sense. At the end of the day, public transport is largely non-profitable and is funded by taxpayer money.
On another note, since MTC has brought back AC buses after a long time, maybe MTC could consider running AC mini-buses on certain routes, especially feeders for the metro.
Featured Image: MTC Small bus on Route S35 from Ashok Pillar/Ashok Nagar Metro Station to Defence Colony (Ekkattuthangal). Photo clicked in 2014 by Srikanth Ramakrishnan, available on the Wikimedia Commons.
On 20 April 2022, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport undertaking (BEST) launched its first digital bus which had a new “Tap-In and Tap-Out” system. This system is similar to London’s Oyster Card; the only difference is that in London you don’t have to tap out since there is a single fare structure on their routes. Out of curiosity I wanted to try this system since I have been thinking about this after BEST launched their conductor-less bus services.
On 3 May I went to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and took A-115 to Churchgate. When I reached Churchgate Station there were two Electric buses on A-112 (Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk, Churchgate to Gateway of India) but since both buses didn’t have the tap-in/tap-out machines, I skipped both buses and waited for 10 -15 minutes. Then came a CNG Midi bus from Mumbai Central Depot (7147) on the same route. It never came to mind that this bus is the bus I have been waiting for. So I thought I would go back to CSMT Bus Station after taking a short trip to Gateway Of India.
A-112 between Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk, Churchgate Station and Gateway of India. (Photo: Vishal Naik)
I bought a ticket from the ground booking conductor using an NCMC (National Common Mobility Card) and he was surprised to see it since for him it was first time seeing this new card. After telling him about how the card works after tapping it on ticket machine, I boarded the bus and after a few seconds I noticed that there were tap-in/tap-out machines installed at the front and rear doors respectively.
Successful Tap-In (Photo: Vishal Naik)
After the end of this trip, I boarded the bus again. I asked the conductor if I could use my card directly on the machines he agreed and at first my NCMC sadly didn’t work so next I used my normal Chalo Card, and it worked like a charm. There was a person who was monitoring this system inside the bus. I asked him why NCMC didn’t work, and he replied that they haven’t updated this system yet which is why my NCMC wasn’t being accepted by the machine. Finally at the end of the journey I had to tap out after that the fare amount was displayed along with the balance remaining in the card on the machine and I got a printed ticket.
Tapping-Out at the destination (Photo: Vishal Naik)
Overall the system looks good, only one thing that should be skipped is printing paper tickets because at the end the machine displays remaining balance and the amount deducted for your card. The driver keeps a tab on commuters who are tapping in making sure that no one enters the bus without tapping in or having valid tickets. If a person forgets to tap out in the next tap In maximum fare will be deducted from his card balance. This system will get rid of those time consuming conductor-less services.
The Printed Ticket at the end (Photo: Vishal Naik)
Before introducing more routes BEST should increase the sales of Chalo Smart card as well as Chalo NCM. It seems like very few NCMCshave been sold because every time I show mine to any conductor it is their first time seeing an NCM. Once Mumbai Metro and the Mumbai Suburban Railway integrate NCMC in their system commuters can easily change modes of transport without carrying multiple cards.
Featured Image: BEST’s Tap-In, Tap-Out system (Photo: Vishal Naik)
If you are stepping out, do note that while masks are no longer mandatory, the new XE variant of the Wuhan Virus is making the rounds. Stay safe, better safe than sorry.
In a bid to make commuting easier across the city, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) has announced that it will integrate the state government’s Universal Travel Pass (UTP) for vaccinated commuters with bus tickets booked digitally using either the Chalo app or card.
This move will ensure that commuters won’t have to carry a separate printout of their pass and will be digitally verified on the screen of the ticketing machine.
The travel pass was launched in August 2021 and anyone can apply for it two weeks (14 days) after receiving their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine (Covishield, Covaxin or Sputnik V). It was integrated into the Railways’ UTS app in November 2021 so that commuters of the Mumbai Suburbam Railway need not carry a separate printout if they are booking a ticket using their phones.
There is no word on integration of the travel pass with ticketing mechanisms of other modes of transport such as the Mumbai Metro, Mumbai Monorail, buses of other municipal bodies or the state transport corporation (MSRTC).
The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) recently made the pass mandatory for all those boarding buses in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad which has led to a mess due to the added hassle for conductors of checking the vaccination status of commuters. Given that the city also has a functional electronic ticketing mechanism in the form of the Mi Card, perhaps this step can be extended to Pune, although it is doubtful that may happen given the current government is behaving as if Mumbai is the only city in Maharashtra.
Hopefully, this will also help people move towards cashless travel.
If you are stepping out, make sure you wear a mask, follow COVID-appropriate behavior and keep your hands sanitised. Omicron is here and the situation is quite scary.
After exploring several avenues to boost revenues, loss-making Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has decided to implement one more method. The Corporation has decided to install digital screens for advertisements inside buses.
This method was earlier pioneered by the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking in Mumbai in the late 2007s. BEST buses had closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras positioned at the entrance and exit of buses and two screens at the front of the bus that alternated between footage from the cameras and advertisements. Anyone who took a BEST bus in 2007-2008 would remember trailers of Jimmy, the debut film of Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mimoh. It kept appearing every two minutes and was really annoying.
Below is an image of the new display inside a PMPML bus, shared on Twitter by Devesh Shah.
This can be a good revenue booster for PMPML, which is currently in dire straits. As per a news report from July, the corporation is expecting its losses to touch ₹9,600 crore in the next ten years.
PMPML has been looking at different avenues of monetising its available assets over the last year but many of its efforts have faced a lot of flak. The most critical response was to a plan in March where it was proposed to set up bus shelters with a small-shop attached to it. Many activists and the usual suspect Pune Mirror heaped unwarranted criticism over the move claiming it would attract paan-bidi shops and inconvenience passengers without a shred of evidence.
Subsequently PMPML began looking for other avenues, including starting parcel services and redeveloping its depots as commercial spaces.
The plan to set up digital displays may bode well for the corporation. A Business Standardreport from 2013 said that BEST was charging advertisers a mere ₹9,300 for a 10 second advert on displays across its fleet. Should PMPML equip all the buses in its fleet with displays, it can earn a significant amount. It can also make use of the displays present at its Rainbow BRTS stations.
Let’s hope PMPML succeeds this time. Video ads inside a bus may not be such a bad deal after all.
Nearly two and a half months after BEST announced that it too would get on to the QR code-based payments bandwagon, the undertaking has now announced that it will partner up with Yes bank-backed PhonePe to provide all conductors with QR codes. Commuters can however use any app to pay for the tickets.
According to a Mid-Dayreport by Rajendra Aklekar, BEST has provided 10,000 QR codes to its conductors on all 3,000 buses across 27 depots. While initially limited to the Colaba and Wadala depots, it is now available across the city.
However, another report by Aklekar did underline the importance of proper training being provided to bus conductors, in the absence of which, cash reigns supreme.
BEST has also put up banners and advertisements inside buses to promote the new payment system. It has also put up instructions for commuters at a few bus stops.
After BMTC and MTC, BEST too has opted to go in for a QR code-based UPI payment system, except this time it is to eliminate loose change lying with the undertaking.
As reported by Rajendra Aklekar for Mid-Day, the new system will be tested by BEST for buses belonging to two depots, Wadala and Colaba. Conductors will wear a badge with the QR Code on it. Commuters will have to tell conductors their destination, he will tell them the fare and then commuters can scan and make the payment using a UPI-compliant app.
BEST apparently has crores worth of loose change lying in their depots, prompting them to sometimes pay staff salaries with them.
BEST currently allows passengers to pay using their prepaid card (the ePurse) and using the Ridlr app. Both will remain independent of the new system and will remain operational.
The ePurse system was down for a significant time (seven months) in the 2018-2019 period when ticket machines failed after their provider Trimax IT filed for bankruptcy.
Let’s hope BEST’s move will see UPI adoption increase further.
Featured image: Death of the BEST ticket; Oh, how the mighty have fallen (Satish Krishnamurthy on Flickr)
Similar to the decision of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) of Chennai, fka Pallavan has also decided to implement a QR Code-based cashless ticketing mechanism on its buses.
The announcement was made by Tamil Nadu Minister of Transport M R Vijayabhaskar on 1 June 2020 via Twitter.
பேருந்துகளில் Cashless Transaction முறை அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.
QR Code மூலமாக எந்தவொரு Cashless Transaction -ம் அனுமதிக்கப்படும்.
சோதனை முறையில் முதற்கட்டமாக 2 பேருந்துகளில் Paytm மூலம் Transaction செய்வதற்கான ஏற்பாடுகள் செய்யப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. #TNGovt#TNTransport
— M.R Vijayabhaskar (@OfficeofminMRV) June 1, 2020
In his tweet, Vijayabhaskar has said that QR-code based cashless transactions were now permitted and that a trial run had begun using Paytm. According to a report by The Hindu, the two buses were both bound for the Secretariat at Georgetown with one originating at Thyagaraya Nagar (T Nagar) and the other at Todhunter Nagar in Saidapet.
Officials at MTC have said that once more buses hit the street, the system will be extended to them as well. Commuters can use any UPI-based payment app such as Google Pay/Tez, Paytm, PhonePe, KhaaliJeb or their bank app.
The system is very similar to the system that the BMTC has set-up, which is essentially only for cashless transactions and not cashless ticketing.
While the immediate side-effect of this would be an increase in UPI adoption across Chennai, it will still remain a time-consuming method. In the long run, the state government has to promote the National Common Mobility Card as a means to go forward.
One hopes that the MTC’s parent body, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) starts extending this to other cities including Coimbatore, Trichy and Madurai.
For UPI platforms, this is a golden opportunity to expand their footprint. While the better known apps like BHIM, PhonePe, Google Pay (formerly Tez) and Paytm have managed to get a market of their own, smaller niche apps like KhaaliJeb can make an impact here. KhaaliJeb (literally Empty Pocket in Hindi) is a UPI-based payments app designed for students. According the developers, the app has a student loyalty that will offer them discounts from merchants while also allowing them to split expenses. Given Chennai and Coimbatore’s status as educational hubs, this is the right time for such apps to strike gold.
If all goes well, it might seem like the Pallavan Kollavan (Killer Pallavan) tag might actually refer to cash.
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Featured image: An MTC bus belonging to the Central Depot on Route 21G from Broadway to Tambaram Railway Station. (Photo credits: VtTN on the Wikimedia Commons).
Last month I wrote on how we needed to look at changing our ways of transacting in order to reduce the risk of contamination using physical currency. One of the points I had made was to target the transit sector in order to get people opt for cashless transit.
Many of of us expected the 2016 demonetisation to be the catalyst for a shift to cashless methods of travel, sadly it did not take off well. A year later, the situation was no different in adoption of digital payment systems in public transport.
In September 2018, the Central government finally announced the launch of the ‘One Nation, One Transport Card’, a rebadged version of the previous government’s long-dead More Card project. The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), was finally launched on 5 March 2019 (also my birthday) but is still being rolled out and as of now is only available on the Delhi Metro.
Older readers of BESTpedia would remember that I had spoken to BMTC officials in 2016 on their Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and the impending release of a prepaid card for buses (similar to what Mumbai’s BEST has). While the smart cards were never a part of the ITS, they were due to be released by the end of 2016 but that did not happen.
The Times of India on 27 May reported that BMTC would implement a new measure to enable cashless transit in its buses. While initially implemented on 70 buses, it is now being expanded to 1,000 buses of the 3,500 buses that are currently on the streets.
The cashless ticketing system, however is not what most of us expected.
Each bus is equipped with a quick response code (QR Code) that is compliant with BharatQR and uses the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to make payments. Passengers can use any UPI-based app such as Paytm, Google Pay, or PhonePe to complete the transaction and once the transaction is done, the conductor issues a ticket.
Here is an image of the conductor with the QR Code handing around his neck.
It is important to note here that the QR code based payment isn’t direct cashless ticketing, but rather a cashless transaction after which the ticket is issued manually. It isn’t similar to the QR code based ticketing used by the Indian Railways using the UTS app, or by Metro Rail systems in India. The latter uses QR codes on phone screens or paper tickets that are scanned at the turnstiles rather than the commuter scanning them with their phones.
While this is a good move in the interim, it would be good to see BMTC implement a full-fledged card-based payment system, on the lines of the NCMC.
The unintended side-effects of this move
The QR code idea, however has its merits. The direct consequence would be more people adopting UPI as a payment method over physical cash systems. Commuters using UPI would mean that anyone remotely connected to the BMTC network –from a food vendor at the bus station to a tea stall frequented by staff – would start accepting UPI as a payment method. The entire “Local Economy” would end up making use of it over time.
All in all, this is a much-needed push by BMTC. The next stop would be a complete integration on to the NCMC so that we can go truly cashless. Who knows, the next big thing may be transcos accepting USSD-based payments as well. Alternatively, BMTC needs to push for app-based payments, similar to what Ridlr offers for BEST where a user purchases a ticket with the app which in turn generates a four to six digit number. The commuter tells the number to the conductor, who validates it with the ETM.
BMTC finally goes cashless, and how.
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