Mumbai: No standing passengers allowed on this bus!

The air-conditioned, zero-emission electric buses on which the premium service is being launched

Starting Monday, December 12, one will be able to ride comfortably on the BEST bus on the Thane-Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) route as the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking will start its Premium Bus service on this route. The bus will not allow standing passengers at all and tickets on the app will be issued only as per the seating capacity of the bus.

"It will be more or less like you book movie tickets, available as per seating. Once the capacity is full, the booking will move to the next bus. A bus carries anywhere between 50 and 90 passengers. If these many self-driven car users shift to BEST buses, we are reducing road occupancy which is a major cause of traffic," an official said.

"The premium bus will start from December 12. The service, called the BEST Chalo Bus, is being rolled out with four air-conditioned, zero-emission electric buses that promise a convenient and comfortable ride. This launch makes Mumbai the first city in India to have an all-electric premium city bus service," BEST General Manager Lokesh Chandra told mid-day.

Also read: Mumbai: BEST bus stops to soon get next-level upgrade

"Seats on the bus can be booked via the Chalo App. The bus will stop only if a passenger is to be picked up, based on a reservation, guaranteeing faster travel with fewer stops. The buses will not permit standing travel," he said.

Chandra said the BEST plans to add 200 more electric buses on busy routes across the city in the coming months so that Mumbaikars can make the most of the service. BEST is confident that the Premium Bus service will help thousands of Mumbaikars shift from self-driven cars and cabs and help take many cars off the roads. "The service will run Monday through Saturday. As a part of phase 1, it has been started on one all-day and one express route," he said.

Bus Features

>> All-electric air-conditioned service with USB chargers and luxury seats
>> Seat reservation only on the Chalo App
>> Live tracking so that you can reach your stop in time to catch the bus
>> Flexible rescheduling and cancelling option
>> Travel subscriptions to help you save up to 50% on your daily travel expenses.

Timings

>> Express Route: These buses will ply from Thane to BKC every 30 minutes between 7 am and 8:30 am and from BKC to Thane from 5.30 pm to 7 pm.
>> All-day Route: These buses will ply along the BKC-Bandra Station route between 8:50 am and 5:50 pm and in the reverse direction between 9.25 am and 6.25 pm.