As of January this year, the total number of daily passengers who buy tickets has dropped to 19.34 lakh though this does not include the pass holders.
At a time when the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking is looking at a fare hike starting April 12, the Undertaking is also staring at a drop in the number of daily passengers. As of January this year, the total number of daily passengers who buy tickets has dropped to 19.34 lakh though this does not include the pass holders.
The BEST officials said that the pass holders are barely 5 lakh of the total. The Undertaking has been claiming that the daily number of passengers had touched 30 lakh around mid-2017. "This is alarming. The daily passenger count has dropped drastically. The pass holders are negligible as compared to the daily ticket buyers," said Ravi Raja, BEST Committee member.
Sources said that the problem is with the e-ticketing machines which are in poor condition and a majority of them are not working. "The e-ticketing machines are not working and despite informing the administration, they are not taking action. This is resulting in loss of passengers who do not buy tickets and revenue too," said Anil Kokil, member, BEST Committee and former chairman.
Meanwhile, the administration is looking forward to the fare hike which the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Transport Authority (MMRTA) is likely to pass on April 11. The fare hike will affect 9 lakh daily commuters of BEST who travel more than 6 kms in a day. The remaining 11 lakh passengers, buying tickets, will be spared by this fare hike as they fall under the bracket less than 6kms.
The total number of passengers does not include the pass holders. "Around 5 to 7 per cent of the total passengers buy passes," added Kokil. The fares of Hybrid AC buses will also see a hike by Rs 5. Even the passes held by school and college children will see a hike of around Rs 50.
The fare hike is part of the Undertaking's effort to reduce their deficit and streamline their financial condition. Its parent organisation, the BMC, has asked them to implement few steps so as to reduce expenses and improve revenues that would bring down the deficit to Rs 337 crore.
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