The civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has revised its bus pass rates from March 1, with some seeing increases of nearly 100%. According to a Hindustan Times report, BEST has four categories of passes depending on the fare for a single journey, and commuters have the option of choosing between three slabs for the number of trips permitted within the stipulated time.
The rates for passes earlier ranged from ₹59 (for a daily pass) to ₹1499 (for a monthly pass covering 150 trips where the ticket for a single journey was ₹25.For monthly passes spanning 28 days, the hike is the steepest for the slab with the maximum number of trips. For instance, the monthly pass for 150 trips where the fare for a single journey is ₹6 has been hiked from ₹299 to ₹600; where the single journey fare is ₹13, the rate has been hiked from ₹749 to ₹1,400. The cost of the monthly unlimited pass has been hiked from ₹750 to ₹900.The minimum fare for AC and non-AC buses, at ₹5 and ₹6, respectively, has been left unchanged. Subsidies for senior citizens and school children too have not been tinkered. Passes at the new rates are available on the BEST smart card as well as the Chalo App.