Mumbai roads would wear such a sad deserted and gloomy look if not for these red devils. They have become an inseparable part of the mumbaite. Ferrying thousands of people from one part of Mumbai to another BEST is the blood of mumbai’s nervous system. This transport system though not perfect, is highly efficient given the talent and resources available to them.
At present, there are about 3469 buses carrying 45 lakh passengers daily on 443 routes. This is a mammoth exercise given the pace of Bombay life, the size of Bombay city, the ever-increasing population and pressure on the existing system.
A brief history
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The Bombay Tramway Company Limited was formally set up in 1873.The Mumbai Municipality was given the right to buy up the concern after the first 25 years or after every period of 7 years thereafter.
Initially the mode of transport provided was horse drawn trams, then electric run trams. Mumbai saw its first bus run on 15th July, 1926 the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Company was municipalized on 7th August,1947 and came to be known as Bombay Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking.
Buses and More…..
The BEST has a wide variety in the type of buses that form it’s fleet.
Single Decker the normal buses that ply, these form the majority of the fleet.
Then there is the pride of Mumbai… the Double Decker. These buses have a unique identity and it’s something peculiar to Mumbai city. Sitting on the first seat on the upper deck with the breeze hitting your face and swirling your hair, is a must do! Though with the speed at which our drivers drive, on open roads. Would say it’s a cyclone hitting you face.
Santoz recommends: Double Decker drive on the Marine Drive!
For the more Luxurious travels is the L series or the semi Luxury buses, these ply on very few routes but there are quite a few now. The seats are bucket cushions types with more leg space. Ask tall guys like me, how difficult it is to travel in Mumbai.Go to the upper deck on a Double Decker, you got to stand like an ostrich! Sit on any seat, your legs wont fit in. wriggle in - snug them and stay put till you get a cramp!
BEST has also recently started the Air conditioned buses, A very good move actually as this service is heavily used by office goers there by reducing the number of vehicles which other wise would ply.The ticket rates as expected are a bit heavy for everyday travel. But then the service is aimed to serve a certain class of people.
For various short routes, there are the ring service mini buses that run mainly from some big housing locality to the nearest local railway station.
And very very recently BEST has started the ON-DEMAND facility, what this means that the buses plying on these routes will not have fixed bus stops for alighting and boarding, but passengers can board or alight anywhere by instructing the driver and conductor accordingly.
Buses will be of two categories, Limited and Non-Limited.
The Limited ( the route no will be written in red ) will halt at limited stops and the other will be stopping at every bus-stop.
Living with the BEST
You have to look at the BEST as a family member, It has the good qualities and it has its bad ones too. So we have to chart out an adjustment to live together. Else Living in Bombay is not possible.(for the common man !)
Ask any mumbaite and he would go on venting his anger and frustrations on the drivers and conductors of BEST and to a certain extent rightly so , But that does not mean that the commuters are never at fault.
The most common duel between a conductor and passenger is “Chutta Nahi Hai “…
“Chutta Nahi Hai to utar jao”….ting ting…
Sometimes the conductor is acting; sometimes the poor fellow is really helpless. And starts pleading
“ If no one gives me change.. Then how on earth am I going to get change from …” So do go thru your pockets and purse once again for the poor guys sake..
“Go to the front door to get down”. The conductor would be shouting himself hoarse, but still a couple of giggling college going guys and gals would be merrily standing at the back door to get down.The bus wont stop long enough for them to get down and then a verbal duel ensues… Guys you are educated for gods sake. It’s written all over the bus to get down from the front. If you still want to get down from the back, at least be ready to pay the price and don’t fight.
Getting a seat on a crowded BEST is an art in itself keep your eyes and your ears open and your reflexes real sharp and be ready to pounce on any near by seat that is about to get empty. It all starts with knowing who is about to get down and when, believe me use your sixth sense. It sometimes works.
And sometimes do your good early morning karma in the bus while on way to office. By letting on old person sit. It you are sitting, by offering to hold the bag or briefcase of some person, who is juggling with too many things in his hand.
Do read the rules written on boards in the bus, and try to follow them, believe you me they are not all that difficult.
The better side of BEST ...
I have been to a couple of other Indian cites too and if say I find BEST is really the BEST I am being partial.
Some things that I could not find on State owned city busses anywhere else are
Printed tariff on the Tickets : Many places in the south inc some in Maharashtra you just pay the ticket the fare and he gives you a sheet of paper. That doesn’t even look like a ticket. The Fare structure of BEST is very rationalized
Fixed Timings Agreed that is difficult to maintain the fixed time schedule given the state of Bombay roads and traffic. BEST still maintains a very good frequency and timing of its fleet.
Language One of the very good things in BEST is that all the bus route nos, instructions , signage will be in both the local Marathi and English , unlike so many other places where they are only in the local state language. Can’t they realize that it makes life so difficult for a person alien to the state?
Be it a bandh or riots, the BEST is the first to bear the brunt of these man made disasters. During the 1992 post-BABRI riots the BEST either completely or partially lost more than 100 buses. All these losses are in turn born by the common man, as they are also running and industry and will have to charge us to recover their losses and costs.
BEST has still a long way to go and it would be really very difficult without civic co-operation.
BEST is MUMBAI’s bloodline. There are no two ways about that.
Given the sheer magnitude and scale of operations the BEST has they certainly are doing a fair enough job.
BEST is the BEST… Well Almost.!!
P.S: Whatever you do, never call a conductor “BABLYA”. Don’t tell me you were not warned. There will be hell to pay!!!
