180 BEST CNG buses to go off the roads in the next 6-8 months

Once called Mumbai's second lifeline after suburban trains, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking’s (BEST’s) pulse has significantly dropped over the last few years.

- Shashank Rao

And it is set to take a further hit, with as many as 180 buses running on CNG reaching the end of their lifespan in the next six to eight months, officials said. Meanwhile, new buses aren't being added to the fleet quickly enough.

BEST currently has around 2,670 buses in its fleet, of which it owns just 430. The rest are on wet leases—owned, operated, and maintained by private contractors appointed by BEST.

Of the 430 owned buses, 180 running on CNG are nearing their codal life of 15 years. The remaining six electric buses and 244 running on diesel will continue to operate, officials said, adding that BEST will only procure electric buses on wet lease from now on.

“We will be getting at least five buses from PMI Electro Mobility in a fortnight or so,” said a senior BEST official. “We asked them to supply at least 50 buses. We have also held meetings and written reminder letters to other bus manufacturers to hasten the process of supplying buses, as it is going on at a slow pace.”