The real problem within BEST’s mess | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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The real problem within BEST’s mess

Hindustan Times | By
Jan 15, 2019 08:05 AM IST

There seems to be no sense of urgency among those who matter even as Mumbai’s iconic and popular bus service is dying a slow death

For seven days, Mumbaiites have been commuting without the buses run by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST). Though it has lost commuters in the past few years, the 92-year-old BEST bus service is still the second-largest mass transport system in Mumbai, with 25 lakh commuters using it every day. A significant number of the BEST commuters come from poorer sections of the city, many of them women, children and senior citizens.

BEST’s accumulated losses have crossed ₹2,000 crore.(Kunal Patil/HT Photo)
BEST’s accumulated losses have crossed ₹2,000 crore.(Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

Considering the inconvenience they are facing with the absence of over 3,000 BEST buses on Mumbai’s roads, both the ruling parties were expected to take interest to end the strike but so far no urgency has been shown by them. In fact, the BJP versus Shiv Sena one-upmanship seemed to have delayed any immediate intervention by the state government to end the strike.

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But then, that has been the story of the BEST for almost a decade now. There seems to be no sense of urgency among those who matter even as Mumbai’s iconic and popular bus service is dying a slow death. Its accumulated losses have crossed 2,000 crore. Last year alone, it reported a loss of 720 crore. Its fleet of buses is ageing. Thanks to Mumbai’s traffic congestion, the average speed of a BEST bus has come down to 10 kmph and commuters preferring other means of transport. This has badly affected the traffic since the number of autorickshaws, taxis and two-wheelers are increasing.

The losses are not new for the BEST. In fact, several public transport services run into losses due to subsidised ticketing. The BEST suffered more in the past decade as it had to stop using profit from its electricity distribution wing for the loss-making transport wing due to provisions under the Electricity Act, 2003.

Not just the civic body, successive state governments planning big-ticket infrastructure projects worth thousands of crores of rupees paid little attention to the second-largest transport system in Mumbai.

For quite some time, transport experts have been suggesting a number of measures to improve the BEST: using smaller buses for maneuvering through congested roads, plying AC buses on certain routes, using features such as electronic boards on stops to show bus timings, new methods of payment and most importantly, restructuring the BEST’s routes considering how the city and commuting within it have changed over the past 20 years. Workplaces are coming up in central Mumbai as well as in the suburbs. With the spurt in information technology-based and service-sector jobs, work timings have also changed for a significant number of commuters. Since the BEST service is not catering to most of them, they rely on autorickshaws, cabs and two-wheelers.

In the coming years, there will be further changes in commuting patterns with five to six new Metro routes becoming operational. The BEST needs to understand this and restructure its routes, experts say. It can function better as a feeder service and its routes can be planned in consultation with Metro and suburban-train authorities. The state and city authorities also need to appoint transport experts on the BEST committee which makes its policy decisions. HT reported last week that the committee meeting had to be cancelled because most members did not bother to attend it and discuss the strike.

Sadly, at a time when the revival plan should be implemented with urgency and attempts should be made to get attract more commuters, the BEST bus service has been at a standstill for the past seven days.

The BEST’s labour unions have been pointing out that employee wages have been really low. Further, there has been uncertainty due to decisions such as wet-leasing of buses (hiring private buses with drivers). The civic and state authorities will need to take them into confidence to ensure that the employees are onboard when the revival plan is implemented.

Significantly, the state has good officers to handle the revival. Civic chief Ajoy Mehta is credited with reviving of the state electricity board which was in bad shape. The BEST general manager Surendrakumar Bagade has worked out a revival plan. What seems to be lacking is the political will to back them.

The ongoing BEST strike actually provides an opportunity for both chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to put the revival on a fast track. That will save the BEST from coming up with just temporary solutions to pacify the workers. With each passing day, the delay is pushing its commuters away and sinking the iconic bus service further.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Shailesh Gaikwad is political editor and heads the political bureau in Hindustan Times' Mumbai edition.In his career of over 20 years, he has covered Maharashtra politics, state government and urban governance issues.

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