Mumbai celebrates 100 years of BEST buses with rare tickets, photos and vintage models

The launch of Centenary of Motorised Bus Service at the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room in Kala Ghoda, marking 100 years of BEST’s motorised bus service. Pics/By Special Arrangement

A century of BEST's motorised bus service was celebrated at the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room in Kala Ghoda on Saturday, with an exhibition that brought together old tickets, photographs, bus models and memorabilia from Mumbai's public transport history.

The programme, ‘BEST Motorised Buses @ 100 - A Journey Through Time on Mumbai's Iconic Buses,' also saw the launch of ‘Centenary of Motorised Bus Service', a book by Swamynathan R.

The exhibition featured old BEST tickets collected by Nirmal Sarkar, Vijay Sonawane and Ankush Kalantre, along with detailed paper models of BEST buses made by Yatin Pimpale. Rare photographs and stories documenting the evolution of BEST buses were also on display.

Curated by Yogesh Shah and Arvind Dave, the event brought together transport enthusiasts, historians and collectors to mark 100 years since motorised buses were introduced in Mumbai in 1926. Retired BEST Deputy Chief Manager (Planning & Control) Pravin Shetty also held a question-and-answer session, explaining how BEST buses operate and how the city's bus network has evolved.

On display

>> 1926 omnibus tickets
>> 120-year-old BEST tram ticket
>> Vintage bus and tram tickets
>> Paper models of BEST buses and trains
>> Old Bombay photographs and postcards
>> Vintage coins, currency and stamps
>> Cinema and theatre tickets
>> Edmondson-type railway tickets
>> Autographs and other memorabilia

Mumbai on a ticket

For collector Nirmal Sarkar, Mumbai remains a favourite theme. His collection includes BEST bus and tram tickets of different designs and denominations, including 100-year-old omnibus tickets in different colours. He also has a 120-year-old BEST tram ticket featuring a tram route map of Bombay City. Sarkar has also been collecting currency notes, coins and stamps for the past 28 years.

Collecting history

Jigar Desai began collecting BEST tickets about 20 years ago, starting with a rare 1926 omnibus ticket priced at one anna.

"I have tickets of different denominations, advertisement tickets featuring themes such as Priya Gold biscuits, tickets from the early motorised bus era and modern BEST tickets,"he said.

"For me, these are not just tickets - they are little pieces of Mumbai's transport history, each one capturing a different era of the city's journey."

From bus tickets to old Bombay

Retired ACP Vijay N Sonawane's collection goes beyond buses and trams. It includes century-old Bombay tram tickets, vintage coins, cinema and drama tickets, antique rotary phones, postcards of old Bombay, autographs and Edmondson-type tickets from India's first railway, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway.

"One must have some hobby in his life. Hobby gives pleasure and happiness to your mind. By arranging exhibitions, I am trying to motivate the young generation too. Collecting something is nothing but preserving heritage. The collection acts as a time machine," he said.

Buses made of paper

Pimpale, a retired BEST museum curator, displayed paper models covering different eras of public transport - from horse-drawn trams and roofless double-decker buses to modern AC buses and trains.

"I started making paper models of buses during my childhood, when I was in the sixth grade, and since then, there has been no looking back," he said.

Pimpale said his collection now covers almost every BEST bus model as well as railway trains, including engines. He is currently recreating a model of the first train and its coaches.

‘These are not pieces of paper but memories'

For Ankush Kalantre, the fascination with tickets began in childhood. His collection includes BEST, TMT, KDMT, and other transport tickets, besides railway tickets from different parts of the country.

"The tickets are not merely pieces of paper. They carry details of fares, routes, destinations and, in many cases, advertisements and other information printed on their reverse side. For a collector, these tiny pieces of paper become historical documents. These are not pieces of paper but memories," he said.