In a major bit of relief for Mumbaikars, The BEST has plans to increase the fleet by more 150 as per a report in Mid Day. There is also a plan to take the bus fleet to 10,000 in a few years.“The new non-AC buses will be full size and will be used for regular commuting. A few of them may also be reserved for women during rush hours from crowded railway stations,” a senior BEST official said.
“In addition to this, the BEST is also working on a timetable to synchronise with the new Metro lines that are opening, so that Metro commuters get direct last mile connectivity from the new stations. We are making an effort to sync the bus route timetable with the Metro timetable which will soon be finalised. Once that is done, BEST will act as a feeder service to Mumbai Metro lines as they open one by one. This is a larger way to encourage public transport in the city,” the official added. “The BEST has been trying to keep pace with the changing public transport needs of the fast-paced city,” Lokesh Chandra, BEST General Manager, was quoted as saying.