Bombay High Court dismisses PIL to restart AC buses, cites BEST's discretion

Observing that it cannot interfere in the policy decision to discontinue AC buses run by BEST in the city, the Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a Napean Sea Road resident challenging the decision to scrap the service.

The petitioner had relied on a DNA report titled "BEST to finally scrap 259 King Long AC buses" dated September 8.

A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice MS Sonak, while disposing of the petition filed by businessman Firoz Khan, said, "The decision is not final but is subject to change in the event there are more patrons or the financial situation of the Undertaking improves. Thus petitioner can make a representation to the Undertaking showing more passengers will use the service."

BEST had first procured its first batch of 45 AC buses in 2008-09 at a cost of Rs 55.53 lakh each. In the next financial year, 200 AC buses were added. In the last phase of procurement in 2010, the undertaking procured 14 AC buses at cost of Rs 67.04 lakh each.

However, the buses suffered many problems like regular breakdowns, buses refused to climb flyovers, non-functional ACs and even the body of buses was rusted.