The BEST put 70 CNG buses back on the road on Thursday, relieving several Mumbai commuters. These buses were among 400 that were taken off the road last week after three fires were reported in less than two months.
Officials at BEST indicated that 100 additional buses, or 43% of the CNG buses, would likely return to service on Friday evening.
These buses served 38 popular routes, mostly feeders, in the island city and its surrounding areas. For commuters, the absence of these buses had resulted in lengthy waits at numerous bus stops, posing a significant issue.
As a result of BEST’s decision not to operate 400 CNG buses, bus wait times increased from 15-20 minutes to more than half an hour, affecting 35 lakh passengers who used the service.
According to official BEST figures, the daily ridership, which was 35 lakh, was also affected, falling to 32 lakhs.
According to BEST General Manager Lokesh Chandra, the authorities have already pressed 100 buses into service after carrying out all of the necessary repairs and checks by the responsible agency.
He stated that every bus that was being brought back on the road had been “thoroughly inspected” and repaired to ensure that there were no defects.
He stated that in the coming days, the remaining buses would also be added to the fleet.
BEST had previously stated in a statement that a team from Tata Motors Engineering had arrived from Lucknow and was currently re-checking all of the buses to ensure that they complied with security and safety guidelines.
When these buses pass the safety parameters check, get the necessary clearances, and sign a written promise to follow the safety rules, they will go into service.
400 CNG buses mostly travel short distances, such as from Dadar Station to Sewri, popular commercial or residential areas; From Andheri, Seepz; Another popular route is Dadar to Siddhivinayak.