The party said their goodbyes on Tuesday by boarding a bus at Agarkar Chowk, outside the Andheri East railway station, and traveling nine hours to CSMT. An NGO named Jeevan Jyot Prathistan Sanstha reserved the special bus for the citizens.

MUMBAI: On Tuesday, a group of 72 senior persons took their final ride on a double decker bus and recalled a period when these buses were a highly sought-after form of transportation. On September 15, Mumbai’s famed double-decker non-airconditioned buses will make their final trip through the city. To make room for a new fleet of air-conditioned double-decker buses, they are being phased out.

Dhabolkar and other passengers voiced their displeasure that BEST scrapped the buses in favor of AC buses. “I haven’t taken a double decker bus in 20–25 years. I used the service pretty frequently back then. The first row on the top deck was a favorite among kids. A unique travel experience is provided by the bus. Sulbha Dixit, a 59-year-old homemaker who participated in the half-day excursion, expressed her happiness at being a member of the chosen group.

In order to say goodbye, the party took a bus on Tuesday from Agarkar Chowk outside of Andheri East Railway Station and traveled nine hours to CSMT. An NGO named Jeevan Jyot Prathistan Sanstha reserved the special bus on behalf of the public.

“It is a fitting way to honor this venerable kind of public transportation. Anant Dhabolkar, a 70-year-old retired healthcare worker, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to ride on one of the final buses from the old lot. “Unlike the good old double deckers, which are spacious, today’s single-deck buses are smaller and less comfortable to ride on.” Dhabolkar recalls taking the buses frequently on his way home from work. They were everywhere on the road. The double decker buses are preferable in the evenings since they add to the attractiveness of the city, according to the Andheri resident.

After the required picture shoots, the bus left Agarkar Chowk at midday with balloons decorating it in the spirit of a joyous farewell. After stopping at the Mumbai airport, it continued via the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in the direction of Mahalaxmi, Kamala Nehru Park, Churchgate, Nariman Point, Marine Drive, Gateway of India, CSMT, and then reversed its route to return to Andheri.

Source- Hindustan times
Link- https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/citizens-drive-down-memory-lane-on-old-double-decker-bus-101694546097782.html