BEST committee reviews bus services in Mumbai, revenue plans and new route extensions

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport BEST administration held a joint meeting with representatives of the Aapli BEST Aplyasathi union on Friday to discuss ways to improve Mumbais public bus services an official statement saidThe meeting was held at BEST Bhavan and was chaired by BEST Committee Chairperson Trushna VishwasraoThe union presented several suggestions aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of BEST servicesThe main issues discussed included Increasing the number of buses in the fleet Improving passenger facilities Strengthening traffic management Enhancing bus maintenance and repair services Exploring new sources of revenue including advertising Improving employee welfare Filling vacant posts Strengthening the financial and administrative performance of the undertakingEmphasis on passenger safety and better servicesDuring the meeting Trushna Vishwasrao instructed department officials to examine the unions suggestions and take appropriate action on priorityShe stressed the importance of providing passengers with safer more reliable and punctual bus services while improving the overall travel experienceShe also encouraged officials to adopt innovative measures to increase BESTs revenue and resolve pending issues without delayProposal to extend bus routesThe Chairperson also directed officials to study the feasibility of extending bus routes 200 and 494Departments have been asked to examine the proposal and take the necessary steps if the route extensions are found to be practicalOfficials promise further actionOfficials from various departments presented updates on the issues discussed and assured the committee that appropriate action would be takenThe meeting concluded with both the administration and the union expressing confidence that continued cooperation would help strengthen BEST and deliver better public transport services for Mumbai commuters officials saidBEST adds 12 buses in BKC under Public Transport Day initiativeThe BEST had earlier stated that it will operate 12 additional buses in BandraKurla Complex BKC as part of the weekly Public Transport Day initiative aimed at encouraging commuters to use public transport and reducing the use of private vehicles in the citys commercial hubAccording to operational data shared by transport officials the additional buses were deployed across multiple routes to cater to officegoers travelling to and from BKC during peak hoursDepotwise DHD Depot operated four extra buses on route BKC3 and another four on route 310 KKD Depot deployed two additional buses on route BKC1 while KLD Depot operated two extra buses on route BKC2The additional services supplemented the regular fleet of 36 scheduled buses operating in the area increasing the overall carrying capacity for commuters travelling to and from BKCOfficials said passenger movement remained normal throughout the day at key locations including BKC Bandra Bus Station and Kurla West No major congestion overcrowding or operational issues were reported despite the additional passenger movement expected under the initiativeThe BKC Weekly Public Transport Day observed every Friday was launched by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA in June to encourage employees working in the business district to choose public transport over private vehicles