Citing high maintenance cost and poor revenue returns, BEST administration has decided to pull out a couple of double-decker buses off the city streets by the end of this fiscal year
Citing high maintenance cost and poor revenue returns, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) administration has decided to pull out a couple of double-decker buses off the city streets by the end of this fiscal year.
Sources in the BEST undertaking said two diesel-run double-deckers would be scrapped by March 2015. They further claimed that there would not be further additions to this fleet in the future. File pic for representation
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Sources in the BEST undertaking said that the two diesel-run double-decker buses would be scrapped by March 2015. This will reduce the number of the iconic buses from 122 to 120. They further claimed that there would not be further additions to the fleet of double-decker buses in future.
“Both these buses will be over 15 years old then, and as per the BEST’s policy, they must be scrapped,” said a senior BEST official. It has also been learnt that the scrapped double-deckers would be replacing a couple of sightseeing buses, as these buses, too, have passed their prime.
Officials said the sightseeing buses normally ply within south Mumbai, mostly between Churchgate and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), or till Cuffe Parade.
More to be grounded
The authorities will also scrap 119 regular buses, bringing down the tally of diesel-run buses to 1,070 from 1,189. The undertaking has 2,970 CNG-run buses, including AC and midi-buses.
Sources claimed that authorities plan to scrap another 180 buses during the next fiscal year. “We will soon be procuring 299 diesel-run regular buses, for which the process has already been initiated,” said a BEST official.
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