Mumbai: 120 BEST double decker buses to hit the roads

BEST doubledecker bus in Mumbai. Pic/Atul Kamble

Days after mid-day highlighted the issue of double-decker buses, the BEST Undertaking on Monday said they will be inducting all 120 double-decker buses in their fleet as they ease into Mission Begin Again. "We are close to putting back the entire fleet of buses - not just double-deckers, but even others as the number of passengers increase. The more the number of buses, social distancing will be practised in an efficient manner," an official said.

Mumbai: Bring Back Double-Decker Buses, Say Commuters

A senior official said that the undertaking has been in an unlock mode and since the Maharashtra government started 'Mission Begin Again,' double-decker buses from six bus depots have already been pressed into service and more buses will soon be on the job.

Among the popular double-decker routes include Kurla-BKC-Bandra, Kurla-Santacruz, CSMT to Nariman Point/Cuffe Parade, Colaba to Worli, and Andheri to SEEPZ. While a single-decker bus is allowed to carry 51 passengers as per RTO norms, double-deckers can ferry 88 passengers, including standees. In the given era of social distancing, though the passenger-carrying capacity has been reduced to half, even now double-deckers can carry more passengers than an average single-decker bus.

Mumbai's BEST Bus Has Gotten A New Lease Of Life

Introduced 83 years ago in 1937, the BEST as of today has just over 100 double-decker buses in its fleet of the total 3,500 buses.

88
Total no. of passengers a double-decker can ferry as per RTO norms

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