Transport
As of 2011, the BEST runs a total of 4,680 buses, ferrying 4.8 million passengers over 365 routes, and has a workforce strength of 38,000, which includes 22,000 bus drivers and conductors (this comes to an average of 11.2 employees per bus). Single decker buses (currently Mercedes-Benz Citaro C2 and Old, King Long, Higer and Youngman) make up the bulk of the fleet, followed by the double-decker buses (Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 3-axle), which ply on select routes. Following court directives, the company launched limited 'disabled friendly' buses on exclusive routes in 2005 that have low ramps and space for wheelchairs. The company also plies vestibule buses on the city's two highways. These buses have a capacity of 110, and were introduced in 1997. These buses were scrapped some time in 2008. All buses are tagged with a route number and its corresponding destination. They are displayed in the front (in Marathi), and on the side (in English).
| Route | Description |
|---|---|
| Ordinary | Ordinary routes are the most common, with buses on these routes stopping at all stops. Buses plying on these routes are identified by a white route number on a black background. |
| Limited | Buses on these routes stop only at important places and skip all the minor stops in between on high volume routes. They used to have a marginally higher fare and are identified by the route number in red on a white background. In 2008, the fares of Limited and ordinary buses were brought at the same level. The route number ends with LTD. |
| Special | These buses ply on select routes covering railway terminuses and the central business districts. These routes have a fare marginally higher than the 'Limited' routes and are identified by the route number in white on a red background. |
| Express/Corridor | These buses service long distance intra-city routes, and have fares that are the same as the Special routes, but with lesser number of stops. They have route numbers indicated in red on a yellow background. These buses do not skip the flyovers, like other buses. |
| Air-conditioned | These buses fares a little over four times the fare of an 'Ordinary' route covering the same distance. These buses have route numbers starting with A. |
| Ac/Super | These buses ply on the new BRTS routes. |
In June 2005, in order to cut costs, BEST decided to hire buses from private operators instead of procuring new buses. These buses would look the same as a regular bus, but the maintenance and salaries would be taken care of by the private operators. But, till 2009, no buses have been hired by them. The BEST also plans to install GPS systems on all its buses, to monitor them in realtime. It also plans to reintroduce pre-paid smart cards along selected routes. This service was installed in 1998, but was terminated in 2000. The BEST bus service has suffered two bombings on 6 December 2002 and 28 July 2003 killing six people. In August 2006, BEST buses also introduced pay-phone system and CCTVs on its buses. This was done in response to terror attacks on the city’s buses and trains. BEST entered into a barter deal with M/s Amnet in 2007 to install three CCTVs in each bus. Amnet also received the rights to advertise in the buses using two LCD screens.
The Mumbai BRTS is a Bus Rapid Transit System taken up in 2008 by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, B.E.S.T Undertaking, and Government of Maharashtra to ease the traffic conditions of the city of Mumbai, and to make public transport systems in the city safer. The BRTS fleet consists of the BEST Undertaking's CNG powered King Long buses, Tata Starbuses, and Tata Marcopolo Buses. There are currently seven routes.
Besides buses, BEST also operates a ferry service since 1981 in northern Mumbai, across the Manori Creek. The barges operate at regular intervals across the shallow creek linking Manori to Malad.
Read more about this topic: Brihanmumbai Electric Supply And Transport
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