BEST starts collecting tolls for crossing city limits from passengers after bus fare hike

BEST ticket shows a Rs 2 charge to cross Dahisar toll booth

The BEST undertaking, in addition to the increased bus fare, has now started collecting tolls from passengers crossing Mumbai city limits. BEST said now that the concessional fares have been done away with, charging the toll is back. The BEST undertaking implemented a bus fare hike two weeks ago, doubling the fares for both AC and non-AC buses. "I was quite surprised to find that we had to pay a toll while crossing the city borders. It has never been the case. BEST buses are now taking a toll amount of Rs 2 for passenger tickets. It is a public transport bus, and this is quite unfair," commuter Dinesh Patel said.

Patel was travelling on a C-12 bus from Dahisar to Santacruz, which passes through the Dahisar toll booth. "We were shocked to find that a public transport bus is now levying a toll on its commuters when private four-wheelers are also exempt. What kind of an administration is this?" said Rupal Kumari, another commuter. "This is insane. There is no point burdening commuters with additional fare like this. This way more commuters will go away from BEST and move to autos. BEST is killing its own commuters by doing all this," Rupesh Shelatkar, president of the commuter rights' body, Aapli BEST Aaplya Sathi, said.

"It is quite shocking that BEST is levying tolls on its commuters for tickets. Surprisingly, the government does not have funds to provide to the BEST undertaking. Here it is levying a toll on its commuters, and on the other hand, the coastal road used by premium commuters is free," Aamchi BEST convener Vidyadhar Date said.

Official Speak

"The BEST earlier used to charge Rs 1 in tolls to its commuters. After the bus fare was slashed to Rs 5 by adding all the concessions in 2019, the toll was waived as a part of the concessions. But now as all the concessions have been withdrawn, the toll waiver too has gone, and the levy is being taken from commuters," a BEST official said.

"We have already sent a proposal to the government seeking a waiver," the official said, adding that the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has waived off the toll, but not yet for BEST buses. "We are following on the matter continuously with the state government and hope to get a waiver soon," said the official.