Hawkers ate our bus route: BEST

BEST buses parked outside Dadar station in April this year. File pics

It seems the hawking menace in the city has got the better of the BEST undertaking, too. It announced on social media that the Dadar-Worli bus route was short-terminated on Monday morning due to an increase in the number of hawkers near Dadar railway station. Commuters were surprised to read the tweet that said, "Due to the increase in number of hawkers on the MC Jawale Road near Dadar station west, bus route A-118 has been short-terminated near Kabutarkhana since 6.15 am."

Even as Mumbai continues to face transport issues with a lot of restrictions still in place, curtailing a bus route due to the menace of hawkers has drawn a lot of criticism from commuters.

Commuters try to board a BEST bus at Dadar

"It seems hawkers are more important for the city than BEST buses. It's time authorities wake up to the nuisance. Limit them to hawking zones only," said commuter Sunil Ghate.

"Is it fair to shut down a bus route because of illegal hawkers? Does any law exist in this state," added another commuter. "What are the Mumbai police and BMC doing?" asked Vinay Vora.

A crowded BEST bus on the Western Express Highway at Borivli last month

Activist Rajesh Mishra said this was complete madness. "Does the BEST undertaking work for commuters or hawkers? It is shameful that the BEST is scared and is forced to alter its route for hawkers," he added.

"All wrong decisions are being taken one after the other. First the BEST shut many routes in the name of rationalisation since September 1 and now it is curtailing the existing routes for hawkers. This is just not done," said commuter Nitanshu Kargutkar.

However, BEST officials said that it was not just because of the hawkers. "The bus route was not specifically adjusted for hawkers, but to avoid any untoward incident due to excessive crowding during the festive season. Negotiating such crowded streets is a tough challenge," a BEST spokesperson said. "As it is the peak shopping season, the route has been temporarily short-terminated to ensure safety of pedestrians. It is a risk for drivers too," he added.