Flagged off by chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh a month ago, the King Long bus has 12 services each from Backbay Reclamation to Thane and to Dahisar.
“For us, the passenger is the king,” a King Long bus conductor tells Shweta Karnik
MUMBAI: Having experienced bumpy rides on board Mumbai’s BEST buses that run on the city’s pock-marked roads, I was sceptical of the much-touted King Long bus of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking.
On Tuesday, I boarded the King Long bus around 4.40 pm. Being Christmas, the office-going crowd was replaced by revellers on their way to visit relatives with cakes, marzipans and kal-kals in their bags.
Flagged off by chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh a month ago, the King Long bus has 12 services each from Backbay Reclamation to Thane and to Dahisar. With the tickets priced at Rs55, the car owners at whom the service is aimed, are ready to ride the bus, provided it offers them the same comfort as their four-wheeler.
“It is an ambitious plan to motivate people to give up the air-conditioned comfort of their cars in favour of a luxury bus,” said Shashikala, accompanied by her husband and 19-month-old daughter.
The spaciously designed King Long bus with its cushioned seats can accommodate as many as 50 commuters. Standees are discouraged. There is ample leg room too.
Unlike his BEST counterpart, the conductor on board King Long was courteous and enthusiastic. He waited for the passengers to be seated, and then courteously approached them. Since offering exact change is a pre-requisite for travelling on the bus. “The passenger is the King,” said Shivaji Kuvalekar, conductor of the bus. “We have been instructed to be courteous, and to be patient with the passengers,” he added.
Unlike in BEST buses, it is the driver’s job in the King Long bus to use the automatic door-lock to allow the passengers to enter and depart at each stop.
“The idea of offering this upgraded service is to reduce car traffic in South Mumbai with the help of a rapid transit system, which will offer a dedicated lane just for these buses,” said Uttam Khobragade, BEST general manager.
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