Doubling of ticketless travel on BEST reflects on us

The BEST undertaking often struggled to deal with cash and coins, which the app has resolved to an extent

It is double trouble for the BEST as people commuting ticketless in the Big Red seem to have more than doubled, a report in this paper stated. This was unearthed as checking yielded twice the revenue from ticketless commuters in 2021, compared to 2020. Officials stated that their app designed to aid cashless transactions, digital payments and automatic online ticket options will take care of the problem.

Ticketless travellers are nabbed because of surprise checks in buses and at bus stops. Conductorless buses have also contributed to a rise in these numbers.

While apps and supervisors are checks for ticketless travel, we need to be ashamed that numbers have gone up. Instead, we must see a steady decline in ticketless travelling which is plain and simple crime.

It is important that we do not dismiss it flippantly, or try to explain that it was a distance between two stops and a small amount of fare that was skipped. Instead, look at the germ of this, depriving the BEST service of the correct revenue and cheating.

Trying to justify this by saying it was a small amount is akin to saying, I just copied one answer in an exam. The point though is that of copying or cheating.

The BEST has been a saviour during this pandemic. It was one of the very first services to ply through the city in earlier waves of the virus. Drivers and conductors have contracted the virus, many while doing their duty.

Mumbaikars are rightly proud of the iconic BEST and reports about the service being closed down were met with outrage and despair. Reports about efforts to revive and keep it alive led to cheers and happiness. It is shameful then, that some commuters, certainly not all, attempt to cheat the very service, synonymous with the megapolis. The BEST needs to bring out the BEST in all, not the worst in a few whose numbers have unfortunately doubled.