Mumbai: The recent announcement of the doubling of fares for the BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) buses has sparked outrage among Mumbaikars. Aaditya Thackeray, leader of the UBT (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, has raised his voice against this decision in a post shared on X. In his post, Thackeray stated, "We oppose the doubling of BEST fares! The number of BEST buses has already been reduced, important routes have been closed, and if fares are increased now, it will have an adverse effect on BEST."
He further criticised the BJP government’s plan, calling it “nothing but another way to choke Mumbai further and squeeze more money from the pockets of Mumbaikars.” Thackeray argued that this fare hike would burden daily commuters, especially when the number of buses in service has already decreased.
Key Demands for Reviving BEST
Thackeray emphasised that the only way to revive the BEST bus service is by infusing government funds and expanding the fleet to include 10,000 electric buses across the city. "The way to revive BEST is NOT by increasing fares but by increasing the fleet size," he said, suggesting a combination of mini, medium, long, and double-decker buses.
Thackeray also called for maintaining flat fares, as they are currently, and urged the authorities to stop wrapping buses in “ugly advertisement colors,” advocating for a return to the iconic red buses. Additionally, he proposed transitioning to hydrogen-run buses as the next step in modernising Mumbai's transport infrastructure.
Concerns for Daily Commuters
Thackeray also highlighted the crucial role that BEST buses play in the daily lives of Mumbai's residents. he added in the post, while stating, "32 lakh people use this real lifeline of Mumbai daily, and the mindhe regime earlier and now the bjp’s government wants to kill the BEST buses, to ensure Mumbaikars can’t get to work. Killing the BEST also helps the bjp government’s contractor friends to run expensive private buses for daily commute. What a shame! We will oppose this bus fare hike proposed by the bjp government."
The Call for Action
"The BEST bus service has been deliberately ignored by the authorities for the past two to three years," Thackeray said. "Now, the news of doubling the fares seems like a deliberate attempt to make life harder for ordinary Mumbaikars. We cannot tolerate this degradation of BEST, which has long been known as one of the cheapest urban bus services in the world and serves millions of Mumbaikars."
Thackeray added that we demand an increase in the number of electric buses, improved quality of the BEST service, and better facilities for Mumbaikars. It’s crucial to save BEST and ensure affordable, reliable public transport for the city's residents.
