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)
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)

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Why Should BEST Have All The Fun? Vasai-Virar Gets On Minibus Bandwagon

Nearly two years after the Birhanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking got its first fleet of mini-buses, another transport body in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has got them too. The Vasai-Virar Municipal Transport (VVMT) undertaking has got these post-vans too, albeit they are yellow and green in colour.

At a first glance, it looks like the bus is the same Force Motors Smart Citibus that BEST has in its fleet. The only noticeable difference is the absence of a scrolling LED destination board on top, although some BEST buses did join the fleet without the LED display.

While the bus might look non-airconditioned, the presence of what seems to be the air-conditioning unit is visible on top of the bus. The open windows are deceptive, they can be opened in BEST’s minis too.

While many people think these buses are a joke, I personally feel they have their uses. They’re great on short routes such as feeder services, point to point services and low-density routes.

Say hello to the Yellow Postvan of Vasai-Virar. (No connection to the Purple Faeries)

Update: Fellow Transit-fan Gandharva Purohit says that these buses were originally owned by Nishnai Holidays. They are Force Traveller T1 buses, customised by PKN Motors of Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. He also shared an photograph of the inside of these buses, which is quite luxurious. Do check them out.

Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)
Nishnai Holidays Force Motors Bus (Pic via Gandharva Purohit)

Do follow Gandharva on Twitter: Gandharva Purohit.

Featured Image: VVMT Minibus by Himanshu Mukherjee (@Railfann9971)

If you intend to step out, whether to board on electric bus or not, please wear a mask, carry sanitizer and maintain social distancing.

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This Image Of A “Bus Mall” From Vasai Virar Should Make You Sad

Last week, while trawling thru the interwebz, I cam across a picture posted by transport journalist Rajendra Aklekar on Twitter of a bus operated by the Vasai Virar Municipal Transport (VVMT) undertaking. The photograph was originally clicked by Suraj Poojary.

Writing for Mid Day, Aklekar reports that VVMT has been off the roads due to issues with contractors. The Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation had said in November that they aimed to have at least 100 buses on the roads by December.

VVMT was launched in 2012 and part of its fleet is owned by the undertaking. The remainder of the fleet is outsourced to a contractor Bhagirathi Travels, much like how Surat City Bus and Atal Indore City Transport Services operate.

It was reported recently in the Marathi media that a subsidiary of Neeta Travels has signed up to take over services, but I’m unable to find a link as of now.

Vasai Virar has been suffering due to the acute lack of buses and railway services. While BEST and MSRTC extended their services to the satellite city as part of the state governments awkwardly named ‘Mission Begin Again’, the strain has been pretty heavy.

It’s sad to see a bus fall into such disuse, especially at a time when buses have been the lifeline of the city.

Featured Image: VVMT Shopping Mall by Suraj Poojary, all rights reserved.

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