No more bulletproof rides on BEST's King Long buses

Undertakingu00a0will remove shatter-proof advertisements from the buses in accordance with an RTO directive

Thanks to BEST's decision of removing advertisements from the windows of its King Long buses, these vehicles will no longer be shatter-proof or partially bulletproof. The decision has been taken in response to a directive issued by the Road Transport department.

However, this new move goes against the grain of earlier claims made by the BEST authorities.


Instead of full-wrap ads, films with 50 per cent tinting will be applied on the buses' windows

When these unique advertisements were first introduced on the buses, the BEST committee members had claimed that they would contribute significantly to passenger safety as they were shatter proof and impenetrable by bullets ejected from small arms.

All full-wrap advertisements will now be removed from the facades of the 250-odd King Long buses owned by BEST. Instead, films with 50 per cent tinting will be applied on them, in accordance with new regulations set by the Road Transport department.

BEST had earlier signed contracts with advertisement firms, enabling them to apply the bullet-proof films on the window screens of the buses. The contracts have expired and will not be renewed.

Sunil Shinde, chairman of the BEST standing committee and former chairman of BEST, confirmed that the full-wrap advertisements plastered onto buses would no longer be seen.

"We have to change to the lightly-tinted films on windows, in accordance with the rules set by the Road Transport Office (RTO)," said Shinde. "A tender inviting proposals from interested parties will be published in the coming weeks," he added.

BEST officials have defended their plan, claiming that it is unfair to equip only certain buses with these special films.

According to an official, "BEST has a large fleet, comprising around 4,700 buses. It did not make sense to have special commuter-friendly wraps only on King Long buses, while passengers on other buses are exposed to dangers."

Unsafe commute?
The RTO had objected to the wrap advertisements, claiming that they obstruct visibility from outside the buses, endangering passengers. Acting upon the directive sent to the BEST by the body, officials decided to remove the advertisements.