By: Hepzi Anthony
@the_news_21
Mumbai: The city Mumbai is expanding its iconic popular open-air double-decker buses. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking plans to increase the number of such open-air buses from three to six by March-end to cater to the rising tourist demand, informed BEST general manager Lokesh Chandra.
These open-air buses are operated on heritage routes from Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Girgaum Chowpatty, Wilson College Oval Maidan, Flora Fountain, Rajabai Tower etc and wind up near the Prince of Wales Museum. The trips start at 3 pm on weekdays and 11am on weekends, when the footfalls touch about 450 passengers per day. Another service also makes trips from town till the popular Juhu beach via the picturesque Worli-Bandra Sea Link and there are plans to introduce a route to the national park, informs Chandra.
The drop in Covid numbers has led to more people stepping out for sight-seeing in the picturesque parts of Mumbai thereby leading the BEST to convert a few of its existing 48 double-decker buses into such open-air buses. In fact, the new fleet of 900 new electric double-decker buses scheduled to arrive by 2023 will also have a few open-deck buses among them. Apart from its own heritage sight-seeing trips, the BEST has also tied-up with heritage sightseeing group, Khaki Tours to provide its buses for their heritage tours twice a week.
The BEST is also planning to tie-up with such sight-seeing groups and schools to help more people enjoy their joy rides. Such open-air buses are also popular with shootings of films and advertisements apart from being hired for birthday parties and private events. This is a major turn-around for the double-decker buses, which were almost shunted out of the BEST by citing reasons like heavy losses to them being unmanageable etc but has been brought back thanks to a huge public outcry and citizens’ protests.
The BEST is also on a major fleet expansion drive, adding about 2100 AC buses on wet lease from its current fleet size of 3536 buses, Chandra stated.
Enquiries and bookings for these heritage buses can be made on the BEST control room on 1800 227 550 or on 022- 24190117. Bookings can also be made on bookmyshow.com
