In order to reduce travel costs, IT specialist Nazim Ansari has been requesting a two-kilometer extension to Bus Number 494’s route since 2018. Vinayak Sonawane has been advocating for the return of Bus Number 504 Ltd to its prior route, which was altered during the epidemic and went from Kharghar to Wadala depot.

Passengers, the passenger association Aapli BEST Aaplyachsathi, and BEST’s general manager Vijay Singhal met on Monday to resolve these complaints and others.
In order to reduce travel costs, IT specialist Nazim Ansari has been requesting a two-kilometer extension to Bus Number 494’s route since 2018. Vinayak Sonawane has been advocating for the return of Bus Number 504 Ltd to its prior route, which was altered during the epidemic and went from Kharghar to Wadala depot.

Passengers, the passenger association Aapli BEST Aaplyachsathi, and BEST’s general manager Vijay Singhal met on Monday to resolve these complaints and others. The conductor-less buses, which BEST is operating more of, were where we started our conversation, according to Rupesh Shelatkar, president of Aapli Best Aaplyachsathi. These buses must be stopped, according to Rupesh, as they cause delays and cause people to board without tickets.

The activists also recommended getting rid of the Chalo app and upgrading the BEST’s own BEST Prawas app. The app has been sidelined in favor of the Chalo app, which Mohit Dubey co-founded with the promise of boosting bus ridership in exchange for a share of the profits. The company’s CEO is Dubey.

The several routes that were canceled or reduced in 2021 were another source of debate. They were supported by Aapli BEST Aaplyachsathi, which also advocated for the expansion and addition of lines as well as suggested routes for BEST to operate double deckers on. The GM explained that the routes would only be able to be restored as and when additional buses were added to their fleet.

The bus rapid transit system (BRTS), which would provide a distinct lane for BEST buses, was also a hotly debated subject. The GM stated that although this was already being thought about, it would take time.

The GM responded that this was a central government policy and would continue when asked about a particular source of concern, which was the practice of purchasing buses on a wet lease. Wet-leased buses were criticized for being poorly maintained, of poor quality, and having staff that was undertrained and frequently went on strike.

Shelatkar claimed that because the GM was new, he was not familiar with the majority of the issues raised but promised to look into them. “He responded the same to every question. But we’re hoping that it will have some beneficial effects, the first of which will be on the conductor-free buses,” he said. “We were promised that conductors would be added to the buses in Andheri, Dindoshi, Goregaon, and other suburbs.”

However, after receiving the GM’s reply and his insistence that their requests be made in writing despite having already been conveyed through email, passengers Ansari and Sonawane felt let down. I don’t think our requests will be taken seriously, Ansari remarked.

GM Singhal didn’t answer HT’s calls or texts.

Source- Hindustan times
Link- https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/it-professional-seeks-bus-route-extension-passenger-association-discusses-grievances-with-best-gm-101693249963599.html