The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) chairman Mohan Mithbaokar has asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) to withdraw a proposal that would allow private opera
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) chairman Mohan Mithbaokar has asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) to withdraw a proposal that would allow private operators to travel from suburbs to South Mumbai without a permit.
The MMRTA had proposed to the state transport department that private bus operators be allowed to travel between the suburbs and Mumbai and vice-a-versa without the permits that the drivers/owners have to pay for right now. “By allowing these operators to no longer take a permit while they enter into Mumbai we will give them leeway to make unscheduled stops and pick up passengers along the way, which would eat into the BEST’s revenue,” he said.
The MMRTA had made the proposal back in July of this year when a private bus association based in Santra Cruz sent the former a letter asking for this exemption. “We are already struggling with the fact that we aren’t able to break even, and if steps like these are taken, we will not survive. I have sent a letter to the MMRTA asking it to withdraw its request,” he added.
The BEST is concerned bus operators from the suburbs will begin to operate in areas and routes that earn it revenue via fares.
