BEST to add 1,500 AC electric midi buses under PM E-DRIVE, signs agreement

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking signed an agreement on Thursday, November 12, under the Centre's PM E-DRIVE scheme.

Under the agreement, 1,500 air-conditioned electric midi buses, which are medium-sized buses, will join the BEST fleet. They will help restart 125 bus routes that have been shut, and BEST's total route network will grow from 400 to 525.

The buses will be nine metres long and will arrive in phases. Because of their smaller size, they will serve residential areas, congested roads and steep stretches where conventional 12-metre buses are difficult to run. BEST will also use them to improve last-mile connectivity between residential areas, metro stations and suburban railway stations.

In the first phase, 225 buses are expected by March 2027. The rest will be added to the fleet in three more phases. Under the fixed delivery schedule, the buses will arrive in four phases of 225, 375, 450 and 450. The entire procurement is expected to be completed by March 2028.

The BEST committee had earlier approved the purchase of these buses through a "wet lease" model. Under the agreement, private operators will provide the buses, drivers and maintenance. BEST will remain responsible for deciding the routes, running the services and managing ticketing.

BEST spokespersons said the contract has been split between two private operators. One operator will supply 1,050 buses and the other will provide the remaining 450.

The additional buses will make it possible to restart services on routes that were discontinued over the past few years because of a shortage of buses or other operational problems. These include areas such as Vikhroli, Bhandup and Kanjurmarg. The buses will also strengthen feeder services for metro routes.

The new buses will have several features for passenger safety and ease of travel. They will have low-floor entry, which will make boarding easier, especially for wheelchair users. They will have air suspension and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.

Other features include fast DC charging, 360-degree CCTV cameras and an Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS). The buses will also have a fire detection and suppression system.