Mumbai's famous red double-decker buses, a vital component of the city's public transportation system for more than eighty years, will come to a halt this week. A representative from the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking officially announced this on September 12th.
Furthermore, the open-top double-decker buses, which have been popular for offering sightseeing tours to tourists since the 1990s, are scheduled to be taken off the city's roads during the initial week of October, as per the same BEST Undertaking official.
"As these vehicles are completing 15 years of their coral life, the double-decker buses will forever go off roads from September 15, while the open-deck buses will be pulled out on October 5," news agency PTI quoted the spokesperson as saying.
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To make up for this loss, various commuter organizations and dedicated bus fans have called upon BEST to safeguard at least two of these legendary buses in their museum located at the Anik depot. They have also penned letters to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the Minister of Tourism, and the administration of BEST, making this request.
"Currently, just seven double-decker buses, including three open-deck buses are left in the BEST's fleet. As these vehicles are completing 15 years of their codal life, the double-decker buses will forever go off roads from September 15, while the open-deck buses will be pulled out on October 5," a BEST spokesperson said.
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The introduction of red double-decker buses to Mumbai's public transportation system dates back to 1937, and they have since become an iconic symbol of the city itself. These buses have even made their mark in Bollywood movies set in Mumbai.
During the early 1990s, BEST boasted a fleet of approximately 900 double-decker buses, but this number gradually declined after the mid-90s. Due to the high operating costs associated with these buses, the BEST administration ceased to add new double-decker buses to their fleet after 2008. Starting in February of this year, BEST began replacing these iconic buses with leased battery-operated red and black double-decker buses, with around 25 such buses introduced thus far.
Last week, BEST announced plans to acquire open-deck buses for sightseeing purposes and has already initiated the procurement process. In the meantime, the new battery-operated double-decker e-buses will serve tourists.
However, some commuters argue that while the battery-run buses are comfortable, they lack the nostalgic charm of their older counterparts.
To ensure that the double-decker buses are not sold off, a commuters' group known as "Aapli BEST Aaplyasathi" has reached out to several key figures, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BMC Chief Iqbal Singh Chahal, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, and the General Manager of BEST. They are urging these officials to take action and prevent these buses from suffering a fate similar to that of trams, which were once the city's inaugural mode of public transportation.
