While the Undertaking says private operators dont have permissions, they say they can function under its authority to help ease the load
Commuters board a BEST bus at Malad. Pics/Satej Shinde
Even as BEST committee member Sunil Ganacharya on Friday raised objections over the free-flowing operation of private buses for city commuters, stating that they do not have relevant permissions, private operators said they would do so within the framework, and were willing to run their buses for the BEST Undertaking if required.
"These are extraordinary times and they demand extraordinary solutions. We have to agree that the BEST does not have enough buses to cater to the needs of the city. They should allow such operators to ply. The onus is then on those operators to follow the law of the land and use this opportunity," senior transport expert Ajit Shenoy said.
For and against
"The problem with private operators is that they will need to discipline themselves. They mostly have untrained drivers, excel in rash driving with inexperienced staff, don't obey rules, I could go on and on about this issue. They need to ply with proper permits and within rules. Who will be responsible if there are any accidents?" Jitendra Gupta of Mumbai Transport Forum said.
Private bus operators say they can help with their 1,000 buses
However, Harsh Kotak of Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatan had a different view. "We all see overcrowding in BEST buses and a long wait for passengers at every bus stop during peak hours. Why don't they use our buses and ease the situation?" he said.
Private bus owners' solution
"We can do point-to-point service under the BEST's authority. For example, we can operate buses starting from Virar, Nalasopara, Vasai etc to BKC, Malad Mind Space, Andheri SEEPZ, MIDC etc which has maximum load. En route the BEST can decide three to four pick up, drop points. There are at least 50 routes which can be run point-to-point with the help of 1,000 buses which will ease the load. We can be paid on wet lease basis, and collection and ticketing can be done by BEST conductors at specified points," Kotak added.
3,500
No. of total buses in the BEST fleet
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