BEST bus service: An evolution failing to keep pace

The recent strike by drivers of Ola and Uber may have seen Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking see a minor jump in the passengers opting for it. But over the years, it has not been the first choice among the passengers who it started transporting by using horses and went on to have the best fleet in the country and Asia.

The BEST Undertaking first started horse drawn trams in 1874. In 1907, the first electric trams hit the road and in 1926 the first bus service was started in Mumbai.

However, in the last few years, it is fading and struggling to keep its footprints visible as it competes with other modes of public transit system in Mumbai.

The number of people opting for BEST buses is dropping significantly. The number of daily passengers stood at 44 lakh in 2008-09, however in last decade this has dropped to 26 lakh.

"BEST is fantastic service for those like my wife. A yoga teacher, she has point to point commute and knows when the bus would come. It works well for her as compared to me. I spend Rs 500 one-way but that is fine. Using Ola-Uber have their own benefits. There is no parking hassle, since I wear suit, travel by bus is not convenient, and travel time can be utilised better," said Sanjay Agarwal, a freelance HR consultant.

That apart, users who have over a period of time also felt that BEST does not provide with a point to point option where they do not have to change buses and its services are not a far cry from door to door option. "Even if I have to change bus, it does not provide the details of when I can expect the next one to come and just how punctual it will be. There there are issued of bus stops that are not safe. I was once travelling to Amsterdam and happened to take bus from a red light area. There were no urchins or security issue that we see here," said Vinita Bhatia, a media professional.

"Even now they are unable to create a facility that will allow people to know the location of buses. Plus the financial strain is huge," said Ravi Raja, BEST Committee member.

The statistics show that the BEST is taken a hit from all ends be it passenger count, income generated or its total fleet; everything is dropping consistently. Sources in BEST said that once upon a time each bus was running 200-210 kms everyday; now though they barely manage to touch 169-170 kms per day.

"The number of cars and other vehicles on road have increased considerably. The speed of buses have dropped from 16-17 kmph to 10-11 kmph. And so people have to wait for 15-20 minutes on an average during peak hours," said a BEST official. "We are working towards passenger information system that would be available on cell phone of people through an app. However the government should also think of capping private vehicles on road if they want to save the BEST."

Over the years the number of vehicles on road has risen by 4 times in two decades that has crowded the road even more. There were over 8 lakh vehicles running on Mumbai roads in 1997-98. At present there are 33 lakh vehicles that run on city roads leaving now place for the giant buses. The fact remains that a single bus can replace at least 9-10 cars from the road; which is a substantial number when it comes to reducing vehicular traffic.

These also include the cab services which over the last 5 years have gone up substantially.

Looking at this rising numbers of private vehicles and cabs; they have modified the size of buses from those which can ferry 88-92 passengers to 45 passengers in a single bus. Dedicated bus lane that can counter the traffic and pollution from many vehicles has been only on paper.

Solutions that came up like having smaller version of buses called Mini buses are operating on narrow lanes for feeder routes but often get marred due to frequency and positioning of the share auto rickshaws and taxis stands.
Dhaval Ashar, Urban Transport planner, World Resources Institute said: "The BEST needs to come up with passenger information system available on mobile phones. They should open up their data bank, let people come out with solutions to improve their working system. They need to integrate their bus services in every way".

There is also a school of thought that the government should seriously think of introducing passenger and congestion tax on private vehicles. These are followed in several metropolitan international cities like London, Singapore etc. This would curtail the influx of private vehicles on road and give scope for buses to run efficiently.