The undertaking failed to earn any profit even in ten routes in the city during the past five years
While the fact that the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is incurring heavy losses is well-known, an RTI query has revealed how the undertaking could not earn profits on even 10 bus routes in any one month of the past five years. BEST runs its bus services on 504 routes.
A Right to Information (RTI) application filed by DNA has revealed some bitter truths about the state of the BEST's financial woes in Mumbai. DNA had sought data for the ten most profitable and loss-making BEST routes between 2013 to 2018.
The BEST had replied that it does not compile details of the most profitable or loss-making routes on an annual basis. The reply came even after the service was facing closure and an order of 2013 by the state information commission (SIC) had directed the authority to provide the yearly details to DNA when it was off-setting its losses by adding charges into electricity bills of consumers. Subsequently, the SIC had stated that since the matter is of public interest, such details should be a part of suo motu disclosure.
The BEST authority has stated that only two routes of the total 504 services are profitable. As per the data, the most profitable route in a month during the aforementioned period made Rs 30.97 lakh in 2016 - a far cry from the highest loss-making route which incurred a loss of Rs 68.38 lakh in 2015.
In 2016, the most loss-making route in a month was Rs. 51.91 lakh.
Several months in a year went by with the BEST recording no profit from any of its routes.
In 2014 and 2017, seven months went by wherein no profit was made. The year 2013 was relatively the best when seven routes made profit in July, most number of routes to make profit in a month in any year.
"I am not surprised about the figures. But we should worry about the loss of passengers rather than being worried about the profit or loss. If they have passengers, they can reduce the losses. Many people do not find buses as a good alternative anymore," said Ashok Datar, a transport expert.
BEST chairman, Ashish Chemburkar, said, "We had around 3,500-4000 buses earlier which are down to 2,100 buses in working condition at any given time. Profit has dropped due to the competition from Ola, Uber, taxi and rickshaw stand. No one wants to wait for a bus. We have not introduced any new routes but only extended the existing ones."
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