Mumbai: BEST has been forced to shut down several long-distance routes due to the reduction in the fleet of buses owned by the BEST initiative. Buses and mini-buses are plying. As a result, Mumbaikars are finding it difficult to commute. As a result, the demand to increase the fleet of BEST to 6 thousand has been made by 'Our Mumbai, Our Best' in the background of BEST Day.
The expansion of BEST is being discussed since 2019. However, it has not been implemented yet. BEST had a fleet of 4,385 buses in 2010. However, by July 2024, the fleet has reduced to 3,158 of which only 1,072 are self-owned buses. The fleet of self-owned buses will be completely eliminated in the coming years. Public transport is environmentally friendly. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the fleet of BEST to 6 thousand, "he said. A few years ago, BEST was one of the best public bus services in India. The Mumbai Municipal Corporation and the BEST management have shown how the BEST service can be sabotaged by creating an unreliable and unsafe network of private contractors, leaving passengers at bus stops to face many troubles. This was stated by Vidyadhar Date, the coordinator of the association on behalf of Amchi Mumbai Amchi Best.
Mumbai's public transport is the best in the country. On the one hand, different justice is given to Metro and different justice is given to BEST. Therefore, the common man should get the best. There should be a movement for that. Mukhopadhyay said.