3 lakh a day drop in BEST passengers

Officials attribute the slump in the traveller count to the fare hike and the increase in breakdowns and road mishaps involving its buses

ALL is not well with the transport arm of the BEST undertaking.
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BEST has registered an annual drop of nearly 3 lakh passengers per day, which officials attribute to the fare hike and a major surge in the number of accidents and breakdowns involving its buses.


Officials say the induction of daily wage drivers has contributed to the increase of mishaps

The number of passengers has gone down from approximately 45 lakh a day in 2009 to close to 42 lakh last year.

Ravi Raja, BEST Committee member, said, "The fare hike and frequent breakdowns of our buses have been the major reasons for the drop in passenger count.

The time interval between buses on the same route has also gone up considerably despite an increase in the size of the fleet."

The fleet's size swelled from 3,380 buses in 2009 to 4,700 in 2010 a hike of more than 1,300 buses. "I believe the increasing number of accidents involving our buses has also affected the passenger count.

Some people have been telling us that they avoid travelling in the buses lest they meet with an accident," added Raja.

Fare hike

In September, the BEST bus fare was increased from Rs 3 to Rs 4 for the first slab with Rs 2 added for every subsequent kilometre.

"The shared auto and taxi services have also eaten into our share. People seem to prefer them because their frequency is better and they don't have to pay much more to get to their destinations quickly," said a BEST official.

Breakdowns

In 2010, the BEST saw an average of 100 of its buses breaking down each month. "There have been situations when the passengers had to get down and push the buses. Nearly five to 10 per cent of our buses broke down on an everyday basis," BEST Committee member Mohsin Haider pointed out.

The number of people killed in accidents involving BEST buses went up from 43 in 2009 to 47 last year while the injuries rose from 653 to 741.

Officials say the induction of daily wage drivers has contributed to the increase in accidents. "These drivers don't drive responsibly.

We have decided to intensify their training modules," said the official. "The frequent breakdowns and accidents aren't doing our reputation any good," he added.

The Other Side
BEST General Manager O P Gupta and BEST Committee Chairman Sanjay Potnis remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.

Number crunching
4,700: The number of buses in BEST's fleet
8,000: The number of BEST drivers and conductors on BEST's payroll
4,500: The number of daily-wage drivers and conductors

Ek Cutting!
History speaks
Bombay saw its first bus run on July 15, 1926 when 24 single deck buses started operating on three routes - Afghan Church to Crawford Market, Dadar Tram Terminus to King's Circle, via Parsi Colony, and Opera House to Lalbaug via Lamington Road and Arthur Road. In its first year - that is, by December 31, 1926 - about six lakh passengers used the service; for 1927, the figure was about 38 lakh. In 1927, the fleet expanded from 24 to 49.