Pre-paid shuttle bus service in Mumbai soon

MUMBAI: The country's financial capital will soon have a prepaid bus service courtesy the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) which will provide the service on all major routes during peak hours.
    
The service will be on routes within 15 to 20 days for short distances on which there passenger traffic is found to be high during business hours.
    
"This shuttle service, being planned on 25 routes, will have no conductor on board and tickets will be issued to passengers before they board the bus. Through this we hope to able to cater to a larger number of passengers who travel on these major routes," General Manager of the BEST Uttam Khobragade said.
    
The issuing of tickets prior to the journey is expected to reduce the number of ticketless travellers and the waiting time of passengers at bus stops on the routes, he said.
    
In locations where land is available special windows will be set up to sell tickets else personnel will be deputed at the stops, Victor Nagoalkar, Senior Transport Officer with the civic-run undertaking, said.
    
The service is expected to mainly cater to the large number of commuters who travel to the more recently developed business districts like SEEPZ and Bandra-Kurla Complex in the suburbs but will also be available on other routes in south Mumbai and suburbs, he said.
    
The BEST will mainly use its 35-seater medium-sized MIDI buses for the service, Nagoalkar said.