The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking’s (BEST) fleet is shrinking in Mumbai, yet 140 new electric buses are lying idle at Ghatkopar and Vikhroli bus depots for over a month, reported Hindustan Times. In 2009 4,037 buses were on the street, and in 2011 BEST’s fleet increased to 4,700. In 2014 the fleet decreased to 4,288 and in the last decade it shrunk to 2,799. Yet these 140 buses are parked at the depots for the last 45 days.
Further citing the people who know this matter, the Hindustan Times reported that these buses belong to Olectra Greentech. Olectra Greentech is one of the three wet lease operators associated with BEST.
Further, the report stated that the reason behind these buses lying idle is the new protocols introduced after a BEST Bus accident on December 9, that led to the death of 10 and left 40 injured. The new protocols mandate 28-day driver training across the fuel type of the vehicles.
Hussain Indorewala, Co-convenor of citizen’s group, Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST, said that these buses being parked for days at Ghatkopar and Vikhroli only proves that there is a lack of trained staff management. If sufficient experts knew how to drive these buses, there would have been no problem, reported Hindustan Times.
Olectra Greentech, which is owned by Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. of Hyderabad, is likewise in the midst of hiring more drivers in light of its growing fleet size. In addition to Olectra, Megha Engineering also owns Evey Trans Pvt Ltd, a business that runs 351 buses in Mumbai. In addition to these two businesses, Tata Motors runs 340 buses and Switch Mobility runs 50 buses.