Within a week of taking charge, Municipal Commissioner Pravin Pardeshi has decided to help the loss-making BEST by announcing Rs 100 crore grant to it every month. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said that the grant would be given to BEST's transport section, so that losses can be recovered. The commissioner has said that there will be a review of the grant every month, revealed sources. The officials also said that BEST's budget would later be merged with the BMC, which is a long-standing demand. The BEST is currently reeling under a loss of Rs 2,500 crore.

This brings some cheer to us Mumbaikars for whom the big red bus is as much a symbol as it is a convenient means of transport. The looming signs of this service's death were particularly ominous for so many city persons, who depended on the bus as their only mode of transport.