Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport - Culture and Awards

Culture and Awards

BEST has been a quintessential part of life in Mumbai. The red double decker buses, modelled on the Routemaster buses of London, are one of the defining characteristics of the city. When BEST decided to do away with the double-deckers for operational reasons recently, public protests and sentiment forced it to continue with the service. A move to colour all its buses saffron from red in 1997 also drew in criticism, resulting in the red colour being retained. Bus drivers and conductors have come in for praise in the media for their service during the 2005 Mumbai floods, when they ensured that all the stranded passengers were dropped safely to their respective destinations. A total of 900 buses were damaged.

The organisation has received the following awards for safety and management:

• The prize for the second best production achievement by an urban transport body in the country for the year 1982.
• The second prize for production achievement in Urban Transport during the year 1984.
• A memento for the Administrative Report and Statement of Accounts of the Undertaking for the year 1983–84 awarded by the selection committee nominated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
• The first place and the Best production achievement award in the category of urban transport for the year 1986–87.
• National Productivity Award for the year 1991–92.
• Award for the best passenger-safety record for the year 1994.
• The award for the Best Passenger-Safety performance in Urban Transport in the whole country instituted by the Association of State Road Transport Undertaking (ASRTU) for the year 1995–96.
• International Road Safety Award for the year 2003.