If you, like me (and several others) are still drooling over my last post of BEST’s mini-buses parked at Oshiwara Depot, here is another visual treat for you.
After a gap of nearly three years, a BEST bus was snapped on the Bandra Worli Sea Link!
Clicked by user Instasnapper, this bus is a Tata Marcopolo CNG midi-bus belonging to the Mumbai Central (CN) depot that is owned and operated by SMT ATPL Associates (marked by SAA next to the depot code).
I presume that this bus was on emergency duty, similar to the one spotted heading to Badlapur earlier this month.
The last time BEST had any buses on the Sea Link was prior to 2017. While several other routes existed, only three of them ran from 2014 till BEST’s eventual cancellation of AC services in 2017. These were A-74Express from Oshiwara Depot to NSCI Worli (Lotus), A-75 Express from Hiranandani Powai to NSCI Worli and A-76Express from Gorai Depot to NSCI Worli. All of them used the Cerita fleet (Purple Faeries struggling to climb the incline on the sea link) while A-74Express briefly used the Volvo fleet when it went from Oshiwara Depot to Colaba Depot (AS-4 always went from Oshiwara Depot to Backbay Depot but via Mahim). A non-AC bus 33Ltd with the same destinations as the regular 33 from Goregaon Bus Station to Pandit Paluskar Chowk (Opera House) was experimented with in 2010 according to the Hindustan Timesreport.
Well. That’s all from my side for today. Do check back on the blog for more!
Like I said in my last post, the current situation has made things difficult for many of us. Do consider supporting me on Patreon!
At the start of the month, I put up a post on BEST’s new mini-bus fleet visible from Google Earth. Here’s a visual treat for you of the same at Oshiwara Depot, this time clicked from one of the high-rises in the vicinity.
In the above image you can see the Oshiwara depot (full of them red postvans), with the Goregaon Depot on the extreme right-hand side. In front of both depots is the majestic Goregaon Metro station on Line 2 of the Mumbai Metro.
On the left-hand side, you can see the Oshiwara River along with what looks like a bridge being built across it. Google Earth shows that the river has been widened at the location in the question between 2018 and 2020 and this construction on the river did not exist as recent as October 2019. However, going by both Google Earth and this image, it looks like a two lane road or promenade may be built over it.
This picture was clicked by singer Abhijeet Sawant. Sawant was the winner of the first season of Indian Idol in 2004-2005 (though the runner up Amit Sana was more popular). Presumably Sawant lives in the apartment behind the depot; the area is home to a lot of film stars. Incidentally Abhijeet Bhattacharya, known mononymously as Abhijeet also lives in the vicinity, and is the President of the Annual Lokhanwala Durgotsav that takes place at Lokhandwala.
While I shall trawl the interwebz for more such pictures, the rest of you lot can enjoy this splendid for the time being.
An interesting thing to note that BEST’s Volvo fleet is still housed at the Oshiwara Depot, albeit at the far end now (just outside the frame in this picture), as per the latest Google Earth update, which is from 30 January 2020. The buses seem to have gathered dust as they look visibly brown compared to the bright red from October last year.
On that note, I shall end this post, but since we are talking of Abhijeet Sawant, do listen to his song Lafzon Mein.
A closing line: The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has left many of us in a financially awkward position. I’d request you to back me up on Patreon. While I agree it is in United States Dollars ($) and not Indian Rupees (₹), I’m looking at an alternative as well, maybe PayU or RazorPay or Instamojo. But till then, Patreon seems to be the best option. I will add that there are more articles lined up for readers, including on Pune’s electric buses, Mumbai’s water transport and more.
In a stunning revelation, it has been revealed that the current Maharashtra government may consider running buses in the tunnels of Mumbai Metro’s famed Line 3 project.
Without the controversial SEEPZ depot, the metro cannot be operational since it won’t have a place to park trains and carry out their maintenance. In order to sort this mess out, the government has decided that they will run BEST buses in the pair of 33.5km long tunnels.
Confirming the developments, an official on the condition of anonymity said that BEST had already been running buses in tunnels for almost a decade and this would be nothing new. “We’ve run buses on the Eastern Freeway, they’ve taken the flyover and the tunnels, what is new?”, he said.
He added that while initial proposals involve letting buses drive into the tunnels at the Sariput Nagar ramp in Jogeshwari, there are plans to set up additional ones at Bandra-Kurla Complex and the Airport as well. The government may also set up a crane to lower the bus into the tunnel so buses need not run only in them, he added. The plan is apparently to run the mini-bus fleet in the tunnel, from what we gathered.
When asked, where the idea came from, he directed the questions to another officer, who on the condition of anonymity as well, gave us an answer. “With everything operating at half capacity right now, some of us looked for other ways to spend our time. I opened Google Earth to see the Attari-Wagah border and then continued on that road to Lahore where I saw a BRTS on a flyover. We then went for lunch, and when I came back, one of my colleagues showed me Elon Musk’s Boring Company”, he said.
You see, Lahore BRTS has a long elevated stretch. If they run a bus on that, why can’t we run a bus in our metro tunnels? We’ve run buses inside the tunnel on the Eastern Freeway?
The officer
When asked about the inspiration from Elon Musk, he said that Musk’s plan was the first to have tunnels under a city and run regular vehicles in them. When pointed out that Musk had a change of heart in 2018 and decided to allow public transport through the system, he responded with “That’s why we’re planning on running buses in them”.
When asked about what would happen about the 31 trains ordered from Alstom, we were told “Jab aaega, tab dekha jaega” (We’ll see about it when they arrive). A third official even dropped a comment that they may be sold to the Mumbai Suburban Rail. We don’t know if he realises that they run on different track gauges.
Whatever, happens, let us hope that Mumbai finally gets the public transport it deserves.
Note: To know how a crane would be used to lift a bus in and out, see this video on how a crane is being used to lift a tractor off the metro viaduct.
With the Wuhan Virus pandemic getting worse thanks to “Special Operations” and “Single Source” events (politically correct terms for the Tableeghi Jamaat), governments are on a spree to fix the issue. While Maharashtra under the incumbent Maha Vinash Aghadi has completely messed up, there are a few silver linings, mainly thanks to the fact that Praveen Pardeshi is the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai.
Here’s what BEST is doing to help fight the pandemic.
BEST has offered to ferry unescorted patients as a goodwill gesture. As reported by Rajendra Aklekar in Mid-Day, two buses from the Wadala depot are being used to ferry patients from the Podar Hospital in Worli to the MCGM’s Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar.
Drivers aren’t too happy with the move, they claim the buses have not been disinfected. They have been given personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, but apparently don’t know how to use them. Ideally, the Health Ministry led by Rajesh Tope should step in and do the needful by training drivers. If cops in Yogi Adityanath’s Uttar Pradesh can be trained, why not Mumbai’s bus drivers?
Here is a pic of the drivers wearing their PPE gear.
BEST has also been using it’s AC minibuses to transport food packets. Seats have been removed and the air-conditioning is used to keep the food cool.
Kudos! Mumbai's public transport BEST uses its Air-Conditioned buses to transport and store food packets with added cooling in this tropical heat. Seats have been removed to facilitate food storage. @myBESTBus@mid_daypic.twitter.com/j0uCEUjZCE
— Tanushree Venkatraman (@tanushreevenkat) April 14, 2020
The MMRDA meanwhile has been using UPL Limited’s Falcon to spray Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl) in the Bandra Kurla Complex, when they should logically be disinfecting Andheri (West) (K-West ward) and Worli (G ward) where maximum cases have propped up. Guess this is what happens when the Chief Minister lives in Bandra East.
Featured image; BEST’s postvans parked near the BSES/ Bhramakumari’s Hospital on SV Road/Palliram Path next to the K-West Ward office and Andheri pedestrian Subway.
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 – “What happens when an unstoppable object meets an immovable object?” – 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.
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
If you like the blog, do consider becoming a Patron on Patreon by clicking the link below.
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“.
This last month, I took two trips on two of BEST’s Midi-buses. A Midi-bus, is a slightly larger bus than a mini-bus, a medium-sized bus to be precise. The non-AC equivalent of this is what currently plies on routes such as 627 (from Andheri Bus Station (West) to Mora Village (Juhu)). Below is an example of what it looks like.
A BEST Midi-bus running on 377 from Lallubhai Compound to Kurla Station (East), belonging to the Anik Depot. Photo: Karthik Nadar, Wikimedia Commons.
Now, at this juncture, I’d like to state that BEST currently operates four different types of air-conditioned buses, all of which are of different power types. It operates Diesel-powered minibuses manufactured by Force Motors, CNG-powered midibuses manufactured by Tata Marcopolo, electric midibuses manufactured by Olectra (formerly Goldstone; in partnership with BYD) and Diesel-Electric hybrid full length buses manufactured by Tata Motors under the Starbus brand.
I took the Olectra on Route A-302 that operates from Maharana Pratap Chowk (R Mall/Mulund Check Naka Bus Station) to Rani Lakshmi Chowk (Sion Circle). The bus belongs to the Dharavi/Kala Killa depot and is owned by Olectra (identified by OL next to the depot code) on a wet lease. I boarded the bus at Sarvodaya Hospital in Ghatkopar to Sion. I took the Tata Marcopolo on A-77 from Byculla Station (West) to Breach Candy Hospital. The bus belongs to the Mumbai Central depot and belongs to SMT ATPL Associates (identified by SAA next to the depot code), again on a wet lease. I boarded this bus from Mahalakshmi Station (West) to Breach Candy.
BEST’s BYD Olectra K7 bus. (Sahil pednekar/Twitter)
On the outside, both buses are similar in length and have two doors. The Olectra has a Centre door (that is used) while the Tata has a Rear door (rarely used). On the inside however, the Olectra has standard 2×2 seating, while the Tata has 2×1 seating similar to the minibuses. It has 2 seats per row behind the driver and one on the left. Both buses do have a bell pull, on the left side like the regular buses. The Force minibuses have their bellpull on the right side however.
Except on the rows with emergency exits (penultimate seats), both buses have USB charging points inside them. While Olectra has them at the waist level, Tata has them below the seat, much like the charging points in long distance buses.
Left is USB port on BEST's Olectra Electric AC bus. Right is USB port on BEST's Tata Marcopolo CNG AC bus.
At this point, I’d like to say, please note: While charging your phones in public spaces, keep phones on flight mode. There are numerous reports of Juice Jacking going around. Juice Jacking reports to using the USB port of your device at an unsecured, public charging point to steal data. Of course, it is reassuring that Mikko Hyppönen of F-Secure said that Juice Jacking is theoretically possible but is never seen practically.
Interior of the Olectra (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)
The air-conditioning on the Tata is far ahead of the Olectra. At some point between Ghatkopar and Sion, it became stuffy inside the Olectra and that is not a good sign at all.
The interior of the Tata Marcopolo CNG (Srikanth Ramakrishnan)
BEST has also launched the Olectra on A-352D. Non-AC versions of the Olectra also operate on 302 that shares the same route as A-302. The Tata CNG also operates on A-155 from Grant Road Station (West) as a Ring Route via Tardeo, Haji Ali, Jaslok Hospital, Cumbala Hill Post Office, August Kranti Maidan and Nana Chowk.
BEST also launched A-218 from Dadar Station (East) to KEM Hospital via Phalke Road, Hindmata Cinema on Dr B. R. Ambedkar Road. Presumably this belongs to the Wadala Depot. I also took a ride on A-112 from Ahilyabai Holkar Chowk/Churchgate Railway Station to the Gateway of India. The minibus is attached to the Colaba Depot and is owned by PNM Transport and Mobility Limited, identified as PNM on the body of the bus.
That’s all from me for this time. Till next time, keep taking the bus..
Featured image: BEST’s Tata Marcopolo CNG midibus (Left) and BYD Olectra Electric Midibus (Right) [Srikanth Ramakrishnan]
Back in 2014, BEST had launched a series of buses in and around Andheri (East) called Metro Pheri to serve as feeder routes to various stations along Line 1 of the Mumbai Metro. Unfortunately, they pretty much ran empty.
Mumbai Metro starts the BEST Pheri-1 via Marol Naka,Airport Road & Chakala Metro Stations!Now Travelling made easier! pic.twitter.com/0Z31MUaQYJ
Now, in what seems like a resurgent comeback for BEST, they have started a new route that would act as a feeder for the Metro, this time in the West.
BEST announced the launch of A-260 connecting Oshiwara Depot/Goregaon Depot with Indian Oil Nagar (D N Nagar Metro Station).
📢 NEW AC BUS ROUTE🚍 A-260 between Oshiwara Depot to Indian Oil Nagar(DN Ngr Metro Station) from today. Stops @ Green Park,Millat Ngr, Lokhandwala Jn.,Laxmi Industrial estate First bus : 7.00 hrs,Last bus: 22.00 hrs One more faster feeder AC bus service #mumbai#bestupdateshttps://t.co/jnPSfvZTkc
As mentioned above, the bus stops at Green Park, Millat Nagar, Lokhandwala Junction (Aai Tuljabhavai Chowk) and Lakshmi Industrial Estate. The odd thing is that the bus doesn’t stop at Monginis Cake Company/Citimall where A-235 (and formerly A-242) used to terminate and A-210 has a stop. The junction is also a major starting point for share autos heading for both Andheri Station and the DN Nagar Metro Station.
Along with this, the realignment of A-251 from Versova Yari Road Bus Station to Seven Bungalows Bus Station is also an additional step in providing feeder connectivity to the metro. However, BEST should have extended it to operate from Versova Yari Road to Andheri Station. One must remember at the end of the day that the earlier bus users briefly shifted to the metro when bus fares reached an all time high and have come back to buses. Those who earlier used share-autos have shifted to the Metro while the upper class regular auto and taxi users have not migrated. At least not yet.
On Twitter, I had earlier suggested a route from Veera Desai Road (Extension) to JVPD Bus Station which would act as feeders to both the Azad Nagar and DN Nagar Metro Stations.
A majority of BEST’s services are de facto feeder routes connecting to various railway stations. With the advent of the Metro, this needs to be expanded here as well. The core advantage the Metro has over the Suburban Rail is that because it is not at-grade (elevated or underground), the can start and end at two places that are not necessarily the metro station but intersect them.
BEST needs to do a lot more for the East. The Metro Pheri can perhaps be brought back to connect SEEPZ and MIDC with Chakala, JB Nagar, and Marol (Western Express Highway, Chakala – JB Nagar, Airport Road and Marol naka metro stations). Passengers headed to MIDC and SEEPZ from the Metro are otherwise left at the mercy of auto-rickshaws who for some reason refuse trips. While private players like Shuttl have begun services, mainly to service 91Springboard that has three hubs in the region, BEST needs to step in as well.
Along with this, BEST desperately needs a lot more of these non-stop AC minibuses in the East, primarily from Pinky Cinema (Agarkar Chowk) to Majas Depot. BEST could also experiment with a few of them from Airport Road metro to Terminal 2 and WEH metro/Chakala bus stop to Terminal 1 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).
Further, BEST also needs to provide a few services to Monorail stations. While the Mumbai Monorail itself has its own share of problems, all those are in MMRDA’s domain but connectivity to the monorail stations needs to be done.
Perhaps BEST can strike a deal with Reliance Infrastructure-led Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) for more connectivity?
Given BEST’s decision to cancel tenders earlier in December 2019, it seems we will have to wait for a while before things change. The 21-seater Force Motors’ Traveller Smart Citibus seems to be a good choice so far. But until then, let’s hope for the best. (Pun intended).
Featured Image: D. N. Nagar Metro Station (Superfast1111/Wikimedia Commons)
