Mumbai: The minimum bus fares in the city will be doubled from May 9, the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) announced on Thursday. This marks the first major fare revision since 2019.
"As per the revised fare structure, the minimum fare for non-AC buses will double from Rs 5 to Rs 10, while the maximum fare will also rise sharply from Rs 20 to Rs 60. Similarly, AC bus fares will see an increase, with the minimum fare going up from Rs 6 to Rs 12 and the maximum fare reaching Rs 65, up from Rs 25. Apart from that toll tax of Rs 2 will be levied on passengers crossing the Brihanmumbai region limits" said an official.
Currently, BEST operates a fleet of approximately 2,700 buses, catering to around 31 lakh commuters daily across Mumbai and extended suburbs.
"In an effort to ease the impact on certain categories of passengers, the transport body has maintained several concession schemes. Children aged 5 to 12 years will continue to benefit from concessional fares, and students studying in private schools, colleges and universities under the age of 26 can still avail existing pass schemes. These include a monthly pass (60 trips) for Rs 200, a quarterly pass (180 trips) for Rs 600, and a half-yearly pass (300 trips) for Rs 1,200. No change has been made to the pricing of student passes" further added official.
According to BEST, senior citizens can avail discounted monthly passes for 60, 90, and 120 trips, with a Rs 50 discount. Additionally, blind and physically disabled individuals (with 40% or more disability) will continue to travel free using the CHALO smart card, as will students of municipal schools.
BEST has also re-introduced daily and monthly unlimited bus passes, valid across Mumbai, its extended suburbs, and all regions under BEST operation (excluding point-to-point, heritage, and special services).
With the use of a Daily or Monthly (Unlimited) bus pass, passengers can travel throughout the Mumbai region, extended suburbs, and the entire area of BEST bus service operations. For a one-day pass, passengers need to pay Rs. 75, and for a 30-day pass, they need to pay Rs. 1800.
To encourage digital payments, BEST is offering incentives. Passengers purchasing passes for 60, 90, or 120 trips through electronic transactions will receive additional trips—3, 5, and 6 respectively. Moreover, wallet-based payments will earn 5% extra value; for instance, a Rs 100 payment will result in a Rs 105 wallet balance.
The revised fare structure is aimed at addressing operational costs and sustaining services, according to BEST officials.
Currently, BEST is facing its worst financial condition. Passenger service revenue has fallen below Rs 700 crore in the last two fiscal years. The revised fare is expected to generate an additional Rs 590 crore in annual ticketing revenue, officials further added.
The old fare structure for Non-AC buses was as follows: for distances up to 5 kilometers, the fare was Rs 5; up to 10 kilometers, it was Rs 10; up to 15 kilometers, it was Rs 15; up to 20 kilometers, it was Rs 20; and for distances up to 25 kilometers, the fare remained Rs 20.
For AC buses, the old fare structure was slightly higher. For distances up to 5 kilometers, the fare was Rs 6; up to 10 kilometers, it was Rs 13; up to 15 kilometers, it was Rs 19; up to 20 kilometers, it was Rs 25; and for distances up to 25 kilometers, the fare also remained Rs 25.
Revised fare for the non air conditioned buses effective from May 9th.
For distances up to 5 km: Rs 10
For up to 10 km: Rs 15
For up to 15 km: Rs20
For up to 20 km: Rs 30
For up to 25 km: Rs 35
For up to 30 km: Rs 40
For up to 35 km: Rs 45
For up to 40 km: Rs 50
For up to 45 km: Rs 55
For up to 50 km: Rs 60
For distances beyond 50 km, an additional fare of Rs 5 will be charged for every 5 km or part thereof.
Concessional fares for children between the ages of 5 and 12 years will be 50% of the adult ticket price.
Revised fare for the air conditioned buses effective from May 9th.
For distances up to 5 km - Rs. 12
For distance up to 10 km – Rs. 20
For distance up to 15 km – Rs. 30
For distance up to 20 km – Rs. 35
For distance up to 25 km – Rs. 40
For distance up to 30 km – Rs. 45
For distance up to 35 km – Rs. 50
For distance up to 40 km – Rs. 55
For distance up to 45 km – Rs. 60
For distance up to 50 km – Rs. 65
Concessional fare for children between the ages of 5 and 12 years for AC bus travel will be:
Rs. 5 for up to 5 km
Rs. 10 for up to 10 km
Rs. 15 for up to 20 km
Rs. 20 for up to 30 km
Rs. 25 for up to 40 km
Rs. 30 for up to 50 km
For distances beyond 50 km, an additional fare of Rs. 5 will be charged for every additional 5 km or part thereof
For the weekly pass (14 trips, valid for 7 days), passengers need to pay:
Rs. 140 for a distance of up to 5 km
Rs. 210 for a distance of up to 10 km
Rs. 280 for a distance of up to 15 km
Rs. 420 for a distance of up to 20 km
Rs. 490 for a distance of up to 25 km
Rs. 560 for a distance of up to 30 km
Rs. 630 for a distance of up to 35 km
Rs. 700 for a distance of up to 40 km
Rs. 770 for a distance of up to 45 km
Rs. 840 for a distance of up to 50 km
For the monthly pass (60 trips, valid for 28 days), passengers need to pay:
Rs. 500 for a distance of up to 5 km
Rs. 800 for a distance of up to 10 km
Rs. 1100 for a distance of up to 15 km
Rs. 1700 for a distance of up to 20 km
Rs. 2000 for a distance of up to 25 km
Rs. 2300 for a distance of up to 30 km
Rs. 2600 for a distance of up to 35 km
Rs. 2900 for a distance of up to 40 km
Rs. 3200 for a distance of up to 45 km
Rs. 3500 for a distance of up to 50 km
For the monthly pass (90 trips, valid for 28 days), passengers need to pay:
Rs. 800 for a distance of up to 5 km
Rs. 1250 for a distance of up to 10 km
Rs. 1700 for a distance of up to 15 km
Rs. 2600 for a distance of up to 20 km
Rs. 3050 for a distance of up to 25 km
Rs. 3500 for a distance of up to 30 km
Rs. 3950 for a distance of up to 35 km
Rs. 4400 for a distance of up to 40 km
Rs. 4850 for a distance of up to 45 km
Rs. 5300 for a distance of up to 50 km
For the monthly pass (120 trips, valid for 28 days), passengers need to pay:
Rs. 1100 for a distance of up to 5 km
Rs. 1700 for a distance of up to 10 km
Rs. 2300 for a distance of up to 15 km
Rs. 3500 for a distance of up to 20 km
Rs. 4100 for a distance of up to 25 km
Rs. 4700 for a distance of up to 30 km
Rs. 5300 for a distance of up to 35 km
Rs. 5900 for a distance of up to 40 km
Rs. 6500 for a distance of up to 45 km
Rs. 7100 for a distance of up to 50 km
