Mumbai: The e-AC double-decker bus fleet in Mumbai has remained frozen at 50 buses for a year. With no fresh additions in the past year, the scheme to expand the twin-deck fleet to 200 buses has encountered a stalemate, sources in the undertaking said.
Commuters have requested deployment of extra electric AC double-deckers that have proven successful on routes between CSMT and Nariman Point/NCPA and in Bandra Kurla Complex. These buses are occupied with office workers.
There were proposals to introduce these buses on additional routes in the island city and in the suburbs — Andheri, Goregaon, Bandra, Kurla among others. However, the acquisition of an additional 150 double-deckers has been postponed.
It is learnt that the supplier, Switch Mobility, previously requested BEST to enhance the lease rent due to “escalation of operational costs”, affected by the latest norms and specifications established by the central govt, sources in the undertaking said. These modifications resulted in increased manufacturing costs per bus. While BEST officials indicated last November that they would address this matter, the impasse persists.
A former BEST committee member said the larger buses can accommodate up to 80 passengers per trip during peak hours. “It’s not just double-deckers, but deliveries of other buses… have also been delayed while the fleet has diminished to fewer than 2,900 buses,” he noted.
“In the recent past, a contract to get 700 e-AC double-deckers was terminated as not a single bus was delivered. BEST was left with a single contract to procure 200 AC double-deckers, and this plan too faced impediments. There is much publicity of these double-decker buses, but actual arrival remains uncertain,” an activist added.