CM’s Bhau Beej gift: 100 ladies special buses from Nov 6

BEST staff wait at the Dharavi depot in October. File pic

BEST's ladies buses are back again, but with a twist. The transporter has announced 100 ladies special buses from 27 depots on 70 routes from November 6. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray called them his ‘Bhau Beej' gift to the city's female commuters.

A press brief said that nearly 90 per cent of these buses will be electric and air-conditioned, while the rest will be brand new non-AC gas-powered vehicles.

Asked about the logic behind launching the buses, particularly when their own Tejaswini ladies buses are being used to ferry all commuters due to poor response, BEST General Manager Lokesh Chandra said the new buses will be run on crowded routes. These buses will offer relief to female office goers and other women that wait in long queues. "We also have something called ‘Ladies First' policy, which means that at the originating bus stop, all lady commuters will be given priority and only after that general passengers would be allowed. If the bus gets full, it becomes a ladies special bus, if the bus does not get fully occupied by ladies, it becomes a ladies first bus," Chandra told mid-day.