The proposal to raise Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus fares, which will affect thousands of commuters throughout the city, has been formally approved by the Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on April 28. Essential public transport services in Mumbai are offered by BEST. The low minimum ticket of Rs 5 had, however, drastically decreased BEST's profits. The BEST administration responded by submitting a request for a fare revision to the city authorities. Reacting to this decision, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray slammed the government and said that they want to make the lives of Mumbaikars difficult.
He posted on X, “BEST bus service, which is the lifeline of the common man in Mumbai, has been deliberately ignored by the rulers for the last 2-3 years. Now there is news of a doubling of BEST fares. It seems that the rulers want to make the daily life of ordinary Mumbaikars difficult. We cannot tolerate this degradation of BEST, which is known as the cheapest urban bus service in the world and serves millions of Mumbaikars. We oppose the doubling of BEST fares! The number of BEST buses has already been reduced, important routes have been closed, and if fares are increased now, it will have an adverse effect on BEST. We have a firm demand. Increase the number of electric buses, Improve the quality of BEST and provide better service to Mumbaikars! Save the BEST!”
He further said that for reviving the BEST bus, the government needs to invest money and up the fleet by 10,000 electric buses across Mumbai. He posted on X, “The BJP government’s plan to double the fares of the BEST bus fare in Mumbai is nothing but just another way to choke Mumbai further and squeeze more money from the pockets of Mumbaikars.
* The only way to revive the BEST is to infuse government money into the BEST and increase the fleet size to 10,000 electric buses across Mumbai.
The way to revive the BEST is NOT by increasing the fares but by increasing the fleet size.
* Mini, Medium, long and double decker buses. * Flat fares as currently are.* Stop wrapping up buses with ugly advert colours, and keep it red. * next step- Hydrogen run buses.
32 lakh people use this real lifeline of Mumbai daily, and the Mindhe regime earlier, and now the BJP government wants to kill the BEST buses, to ensure Mumbaikars can’t get to work.
Killing the BEST also helps the BJP government’s contractor friends to run expensive private buses for daily commute.
What a shame!
We will oppose this bus fare hike proposed by the BJP government.
Public transport has to be affordable.”
This marks the first fare hike since 2018, when the minimum fare for ordinary buses was set at Rs 8 and Rs 20 for air-conditioned (AC) buses. However, in 2019, the then Municipal Commissioner, Praveen Pardeshi, rolled back these rates, reducing the minimum fare to Rs 5 for ordinary buses and Rs 6 for AC buses, aiming to boost ridership.
BEST Bus Fare Hike: What will be the new ticket prices for ordinary buses?
- For a distance of up to 5 km, the fare will rise from Rs 5 to Rs 10.
- For a distance of up to 10 km, the fare will increase from Rs 10 to Rs 15.
- For a distance of up to 15 km, the new fare will be Rs 20.
- For a distance of up to 20 km, passengers will now pay Rs 30.
How much will AC bus fares increase?
- The current fare for a distance of 5 km is Rs 6, which will increase to Rs 12.
- For a distance of 10 km, the fare will go up from Rs 13 to Rs 20.
- For 15 km, the fare will rise from Rs 19 to Rs 30.
- For 20 km, passengers will now have to pay Rs 35.
Monthly Pass Fare Hike for BEST Buses
- The monthly pass for a distance of 5 km, currently priced at Rs 450, will cost Rs 800.
- The pass for a distance of 10 km will increase from Rs 1000 to Rs 1250.
- For a distance of 15 km, the pass price will go from Rs 1650 to Rs 1700.
- The 20 km pass will now cost Rs 2600.
How much will the AC bus pass cost after the hike?
- The AC bus pass for a 5 km distance will rise from Rs 600 to Rs 1100.
- For a 10 km distance, the pass rate will increase from Rs 1400 to Rs 1700.
- For 15 km, the cost will jump from Rs 2100 to Rs 2300.
- The 20 km pass will now be priced at Rs 3500, up from Rs 2700.