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New Year's gift: BEST to ply more buses in BKC complex and other routes

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In January, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking (BEST) will put 50 more buses on routes leading to the Bandra-Kurla complex. These buses would be new ones, most of them non-airconditioned, with more legroom and better suspension than the ones plying currently, said a BEST official. These buses would be part of a 500-strong batch that BEST plans to procure through the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) funding. BEST committee member Dilip Ghanshyam Patel confirmed the development.

This is part of the BEST's plan to increase its flagging revenues by getting more passengers. Many BEST bus routes have lost passengers to the Metro and monorail which commenced operations recently.

The BEST's new buses would be procured after scrapping around 300 older buses in a phased manner. These new buses would be deployed to ferry passengers to Bandra-Kurla complex from various railway stations- Bandra, Santacruz, Andheri, and Kurla.

In particular, BEST hopes to grab a major share of commuters to BKC from Kurla and Bandra stations, which account for a large number of footfalls in the commercial hub.

The buses are expected to arrive in January next year if there are no delays, a BEST official said.

A senior officer from BEST's engineering department said on condition of anonymity, "The approximate price of a new bus would be Rs 45 lakh."

Prashant Chaugule, a daily commuter from Bandra to BKC, said, "The auto-rickshaw drivers at Bandra station are a nuisance. If BEST introduces zero-waiting period bus service like Churchgate to Nariman point, it would be a great relief for us."

BEST plans to introduce more buses on other high-footfall routes as well. It also plans to put more buses on express routes.

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