The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) is in final talks with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) for a new “Mumbai Darshan” scheme.
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) is in final talks with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) for a new “Mumbai Darshan” scheme. The BEST has been in discussions with MTDC for a while now, but was unable to come to an agreement regarding the time when buses would run as the latter wanted buses to run in the morning and evening, which overlapped with BEST’s peak hour. As a result, the number of buses to be run had been an issue.
Speaking about the proposal, BEST General Manager, Jagdish Patil, said that it was too early to discuss details of the plan. “We have been in talks with MTDC but a lot of things are to be hammered out yet. But yes, we are keen to be able to provide the services,” said Mr Patil.
BEST plans to run a mix of normal and air-conditioned buses on this route as nearly 250 of these buses are parked at various depots due to high maintenance costs. Also, these buses are unable to maneuver themselves on steep inclines and more often than not, break down and get ferried to the closest depot. A BEST official on condition of anonymity said that only 124 out of these air-conditioned buses are fit to run.
