05 August,2026 07:58 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
An old open-deck double-decker bus. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Mumbai is getting back one of its lost icons of BEST's transport wing. The BEST chairperson on Tuesday said that the undertaking was planning to procure more double-decker buses, including seven to eight with open decks, and if things go well, they should be in Mumbai by this Diwali.
mid-day had been highlighting the loss of open-deck Mumbai double-decker buses, which were iconic and had been popular. With the scrapping of all non-AC double-decker buses, BEST also lost its fleet of open-deck buses.
Popular with citizens and tourists, and used for mega victory marches and major city events, an open-deck bus had been used for the 2007 T20 World Cup victory parade with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team all the way from the airport to Wankhede Stadium amid cheer by Mumbaikars.
One such bus had also been sent 1600 km away to Hyderabad after authorities there requested it for the victory procession of the Olympic silver medal winner PV Sindhu and her coach Pullela Gopichand in 2016.
The buses were scrapped around 2021-22 after the end of their lifespan, and the BEST had promised to revive them, but it never happened. For the Team India victory parade in July 2024, with the buses no longer available in Mumbai, authorities had to procure an open-deck bus from a Gujarat-based company.
The BEST is also facing a problem as these open-deck buses were used for tree-trimming operations. The activity is now done using smaller Mac-Lifton cranes. The MTDC introduced a few open-deck buses, but they remain for longer-route tourist operations.
Trushna Vishwasrao, BEST chairperson
"We are getting more double-decker buses from Switch, and I have asked the company to also include seven to eight open-deck buses which were once very popular. These buses should be in place by Diwali this year."
