2024-02-07 22:27
Transit fans and Infra fans can rejoice now as the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undetaking’s Chalo Bus premium service will now ply across the Shri Atal Bihari… Read More
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BESTpedia is a blog about public transport, with a special focus on BEST buses in Mumbai.
2024-01-29 20:18
Hi there, sorry for not being too active here. There are some issues with the blog and a few posts that have been published are not visible because, well, let us not get into it. Anyway, the… Read More
2023-12-14 21:22
Bringing cheer to commuters in Andheri (East), the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking launched its second electric double decker route in the suburbs on A-415 c… Read More
2023-11-30 15:06
Giving commuters in the suburbs a reason to cheer, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking finally launched its much anticipated electric Double Decker fleet of… Read More
2023-08-19 23:14
Serving Mumbai for 86 years, the conventional Double Decker buses will be replaced with Electric AC Double Decker buses. Bus enthusiasts hired a Double Decker and took it on a special trip e… Read More
2023-08-18 22:57
In what can only be considered a big boost for public transport, clean air and people’s pockets, the Cabinet approved the PM e-Bus Sewa on 16 August 2023. Under this scheme, the Centre… Read More
2023-08-07 22:44
In an interesting development, an open-deck doubled-decker bus manufactured by Ashok Leyland’s Switch Mobility was spotted near Marina Beach in Chennai. The Metropolitan Transport Corp… Read More
2023-07-31 18:15
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is organising a grand exhibition of its antique and operation-development systems at its Museum. The exhibition will be h… Read More
2023-07-05 22:03
In what can only be described as good news for both transit fans and history buffs alike, the Maharashtra Government has agreed to save one Bharat Stage 3 (BS3) Double Decker bus of the Brih… Read More
2023-07-01 22:57
Alright, this is yet another post not related to public transport, but I have in the past written about first responders. In fact, one of the long-pending article ideas is on what Indian Pol… Read More
2023-06-18 22:10
The Amdavad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS)-run Lal Darwaja bus station, which was built in 1955 at the heart of the city was shut down in 2021 to undergo a major renovation in order to m… Read More
2023-06-13 22:15
If you drive a vehicle that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG), you would know the travails of standing in a queue to fill up, especially during weekends. Last month, Mahanagar Gas Limited… Read More
2023-06-11 00:01
Did you know that there was actually a sport of double-decker bus racing? No kidding here, it’s true. Between 1958 and 2007, the BBC ran a sports programme titled Grandstand. Rival cha… Read More
2023-06-04 22:36
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is looking at the possibility of running water taxi services between Gateway of India and various parts of Navi Mumbai in… Read More
2023-05-05 22:57
Remember the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking’s Volvo fleet? That’s right, those four diesel-powered, single-door Volvo buses that were always cov… Read More
2023-05-03 20:33
In a bid to modernise and monetise its real estate, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is looking to hire the World Bank Group’s member organisation I… Read More
2023-04-28 20:54
In a bid to make travel by buses a little more pleasant, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has banned loud music and conversations in buses after a deluge… Read More
2023-04-20 17:15
Double Decker buses have been the pride of Mumbai for decades. Talks for procuring new Double Deckers (DDs) began in late 2020 when a tender for 50 Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) Non-AC DDs was floate… Read More
2023-03-30 22:54
The last two months has not been good for the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking. First, the undertaking junked the wet-lease agreement with one player due to t… Read More
2023-02-20 20:24
It’s official, Mumbai’s first electric double deckers are to hit the city’s streets on 21 February 2023. The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertakin… Read More
2023-02-08 21:11
After a gap of twenty years, double decker buses have returned to the roads of the southern city of Hyderabad, and this time in an electric avatar, making the City of Pearls to be the first… Read More
2023-02-05 22:07
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has decided to put up an exhibit at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. According to a note shared by the undertaking, the Kala… Read More
2023-02-01 21:41
While I admit upfront that this has nothing to do with buses or public transport, it does have something to do with one of every bus fans’ favourite brands. This news, while reported i… Read More
2023-01-31 22:25
In a bid to automate and mechanise certain functions while putting older buses of the fleet to better use, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has converted an old bus in… Read More
2023-01-31 05:36
The network of electric scooters by Vogo rentals has successfully spread to the city of Thane, thereby going beyond the Mumbai Suburban district. The fleet has crossed around 1,130 so far wh… Read More
2023-01-26 18:19
Public transit in India has a problem of plenty, on multiple levels. Plenty of obstacles, that is.Obstacles, such as lack of political will to plan and execute projects at the state level, t… Read More
2023-01-15 21:31
As part of its Neighbourhood First policy, the Government of India has handed over 75 buses to crisis-hit Sri Lanka to be used in its public transport system. This is the first installment o… Read More
2023-01-01 23:46
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking’s long-awaited app-based premium bus service finally hit the roads on 12 December 2022. The bus was launched at the… Read More
2022-12-18 21:23
Okay, this might sound odd but one please do read on. It’s been over seven years since I wrote on anything related to Fire and Emergency Services. Interestingly, the only time I wrote… Read More
2022-12-09 23:39
Adding another feather in its cap, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking will soon start premium air-conditioned buses in the city. These new buses will be sin… Read More
2022-12-03 22:08
This is a rather long article. I’d recommend you please read the entire thing before cursing me. Also, where I have begged you to click a link and read, please do?Not too long ago, we… Read More
2022-11-30 13:40
At a presentation made by the World Resources Institute (WRI India) at the Urban Mobility India conference, it was reported that the cost-per-kilometre had come down by 30 per cent for buses… Read More
2022-11-18 21:45
Well, this might be too early to judge a product that has been newly introduced but I am concluding this after testing it for two weeks. Frequent interactions through time-to-time feedback a… Read More
2022-10-27 13:55
Sometimes, public transport can turn up some really creative elements. They may be just plain decorations or they may be functional, but there is no denying that there is some creativity inv… Read More
2022-10-24 13:59
With the impending opening up of the Vandalur Kilambakkam Bus Terminus in southern Chennai, one fear among many of the city’s residents is not going away. The Chennai Metropolitan Deve… Read More
2022-10-20 19:54
A while back the internet was flooded with a video of a bus with a scrolling display that read Madarchod Sukheja. However, it seems that the incident has quite a backstory to it. According t… Read More
2022-10-08 22:56
Your commute could soon become better (or even BEST, pun intended) as the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has begun the process of calling for tenders for ag… Read More
2022-10-08 21:19
In what can only be deemed a major embarrassment for the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) of Chennai, crewmembers belonging to the Chromepet Depot (CR/CW) were found to have disconne… Read More
2022-09-29 14:01
In 2019, when BEST decided to introduce Minibuses in Mumbai, there was a lot of uproar on social media about using these small buses for public transport. The outcry got louder and louder wh… Read More
2022-09-12 11:42
As part of a pilot project in Millenium City Gurgaon (Gurugram), the Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) and ride-sharing aggregator platform Uber have entered into a partnership… Read More
2022-08-16 13:19
To mark India’s 75th year of Independence, the Birhanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking arranged its buses at the Mumbai Central Depot to form the number 75, si… Read More
2022-08-15 18:27
It’s 15 August 2022, India’s Independence Day. To mark the occasion, as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) undertaking did something very… Read More
2022-08-11 21:07
Over the course of the last two weeks, I’ve been traveling a lot in MTC buses. During my rides, I got to try out the Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (MTC, fka Pallavan) not… Read More
2022-07-17 18:46
Transit fans of Maharashtra in the last one week have been celebrating for multiple reasons. The first was the obvious one, with former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis returning to power, a… Read More
2022-06-21 09:35
The 1,400 single deck electric buses (with Driver) tender of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking is quite a burning topic with one bidder losing nearly a ₹……Read More
2022-05-29 01:08
Olectra Greentech Limited bags an order of 2,100 SD EVs from BEST worth ₹3,675 crore. After ordering a lot of Buses from Tata, BEST seems trying to woo bus fans by choosing OGL.In effo… Read More
2022-05-17 11:07
On 20 April 2022, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport undertaking (BEST) launched its first digital bus which had a new “Tap-In and Tap-Out” system. This system is… Read More
2022-04-06 23:51
With the formal launch of commercial operations (albeit with a lot of technical snags) of the Red and Yellow lines (Line 2A and Line 7) of Mumbai Metro on Gudi Padwa this week, the Mumbai Me… Read More
2022-03-05 18:28
In his bid to revamp the image of the Birhanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking and promote Mumbai as an “always awake” city, state minister Aaditya Thacke… Read More
2022-02-28 15:12
After dilly-dallying for months, the Delhi Transport Corporation got its first electric bus on 18 January 2022, amidst much fanfare (for one single bus). Of course, given that it is Delhi, t… Read More
2022-02-06 22:21
A week after BEST announced plans to procure 800 double-decker buses and NMMT announced its intentions to begin trials, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has announced… Read More
2022-01-27 23:01
With the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking’s double-decker fleet strength going down from 120 to 48 in the last two years, the city’s iconic bus mi… Read More
2022-01-22 23:29
After getting well-versed with the Chalo app, it’s time to get familiar with the Chalo Card. For Mumbai, this isn’t the first time a smart card system has been implemented. Mumba… Read More
2022-01-20 21:39
In a bid to make commuting easier across the city, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) has announced that it will integrate the state government’s Univ… Read More
2022-01-09 18:21
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) has moved a step ahead towards cashless payments with its new ticketing vendor Chalo. The system was initially rolled out la… Read More
2021-12-27 18:24
In an attempt to make public transport better, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has set up new bus stops for the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BE… Read More
2021-12-01 23:15
We all would have heard the saying “Hit the Iron, when it is Hot”. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) has proved it well. It brought about a revamp that not only improved… Read More
2021-11-18 20:55
On 17 November, a hovercraft was spotted off the coast of Andheri and that left a lot of us excited. Here is the video shared by the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association… Read More
2021-10-20 22:41
Going a step forward in making Mumbai’s public transport (at least the road part) cleaner, the Birhanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has announced that going… Read More
2021-10-18 22:27
Nearly two years after the Birhanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking got its first fleet of mini-buses, another transport body in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR)… Read More
2021-10-17 23:09
On 11 October, Aaditya Thackeray flagged off two new routes of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking. The new routes, while not numbered are point to point ser… Read More
2021-10-10 11:03
With ever increasing traffic jams on Mumbai’s streets, an under-construction metro network that is nowhere close to fruition, the city’s public transport agencies have come toget… Read More
2021-10-08 22:57
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking will soon rationalise a few bus routes so that they ‘merge’ with others and thus can help commuters change bu… Read More
2021-09-27 22:20
In a bid to boost the usage of electric vehicles (EVs) in the city, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has decided to establish 55 EV charging stations at v… Read More
2021-09-17 22:47
After exploring several avenues to boost revenues, loss-making Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has decided to implement one more method. The Corporation has decided to in… Read More
2021-09-07 21:48
Nearly two years after the first batch of AC minibuses hit the roads of Andheri, BEST finally seems to have given in to a long pending demand. Till now, the two AC buses connecting Lokhandwa… Read More
2021-08-29 17:38
As the Central Government’s rollout of FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles) continues at a rapid pace, we’re in for a new visual treat. This t… Read More
2021-08-28 18:21
In 2019, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved a rubber-tyred metro – the first in the country called the Metro Neo for the city of Nashik. While other smaller c… Read More
2021-08-26 22:36
A new rumour, aided by a photoshopped image has been floating around social media that claims that the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is launching red-colou… Read More
2021-08-21 00:05
In what seems to be a welcome break from the constant rivalry between different municipal transport bodies within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the Birhanmumbai Electricity Supply an… Read More
2021-08-15 15:42
Nearly four years after it got is first batch of electric buses (Goldstone non-AC buses at the Backbay Depot), the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking last week… Read More
2021-07-27 13:26
A recent rumour has been spreading that the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking is shutting down its Oshiwara Depot on 1 August 2021. The rumour was started by a… Read More
2021-07-18 14:38
In another plan to get more people to use public transport, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has introduced its new air-conditioned midi-bus, the Punyadasham. Fifty CN… Read More
2021-07-12 11:24
After a lengthy gap, I’ve managed to come across another delightful drone image, this time it is one something that I have been looking for over the last year and a half. Throughout th… Read More
2021-07-03 11:30
As part of a modernisation programme, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahanagar Mahamandal (PMPML) has decided to go in for development of 30 spaces that it owns, which includes 17 depots and 1… Read More
2021-06-14 22:18
For the first time in the history of Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is facing a huge shortage of buses. Once considered the pride of Mumbai and… Read More
2021-06-12 21:05
In its quest to turn Mumbai into a global city, the government today added another feather to its cap. After repeatedly turning Mumbai into a seasonal Venice every monsoon, despite making pr… Read More
2021-05-28 15:15
The last 14 months have been quite a strain on all of us with the pandemic and the consequential lockdown(s). With many places still under varying lockdown and lockdown-like situations, gett… Read More
2021-05-26 23:10
With the ongoing lockdown causing a strain on the finances of public transport operators, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) is now looking at raising revenue through al… Read More
2021-04-11 17:51
In late 2014, I developed a weird interest, one that would continue on for two more years. I started documenting bus tickets and daily passes. I then wrote an article here, documenting only… Read More
2021-04-05 18:25
Your next ride in a long distance AC bus in Tamil Nadu might just be different. In a bid to boost ridership and safety of passengers during the ongoing Wuhan Virus pandemic, the State Expres… Read More
2021-04-05 14:33
Thanks to the Wuhan Virus pandemic, the last one year has been bad for public transport. This has been problematic especially in larger cities such as Mumbai and Chennai. However, Chennai we… Read More
2021-04-04 21:47
As part of the mini-lockdown in Maharashtra which is right now turning into India’s Hubei/New York/California, BEST has announced that starting today (5 April 2021), no standees will b… Read More
2021-03-31 18:21
Last week, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) launched a tender worth ₹45 crore under the Smart Cities Mission to set up 1,500 smart bus stops which included a 5x5… Read More
2021-03-25 22:46
In what could only be good news, the electric bus craze has finally hit the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) with BEST leading the way. According to a report by Rajendra Aklekar in Mid-Day… Read More
2021-02-27 18:22
After spending two days puzzling over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in Puducherry, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has decided to start bus… Read More
2021-02-14 11:59
Last week the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM/BMC) announced a ₹750 crore financial package for the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking as pa… Read More
2021-01-30 22:27
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking formally inaugurated its Operational Command an Control Centre on Friday (29 January 2021) at the Wadala bus depot. The C… Read More
2021-01-02 18:29
A month ago, I had spotted BMTC running trials using JBM’s Electric Bus fleet on Bannerghatta Road. In that post, I had also mentioned that BMTC had received bids from Veera, Ashok Ley… Read More
2020-12-14 11:02
For the last decade, Karnataka has been among the most proactive states in India when it came to acquiring new buses. The state was among the largest beneficiaries under the UPA government&r&hell…Read More
2020-12-11 22:13
While walking along Bannerghatta Road, I happened to spot a bus that seemed odd. At the first glance, it looked a lot like the Tata Starbus Hybrid Diesel-Electric bus that BEST operates in B… Read More
2020-12-09 23:33
Last week, while trawling thru the interwebz, I cam across a picture posted by transport journalist Rajendra Aklekar on Twitter of a bus operated by the Vasai Virar Municipal Transport (VVMT… Read More
2020-12-05 23:09
While BEST has consistently stuck to one design for their AC minibus fleet, the Force Motors Smart Citibus, their midibus fleet has a lot more variations. The first to enter the fleet were t… Read More
2020-11-29 23:37
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has converted two disused buses of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) undertaking into artistic mobile toilets. Navi Mumbai is currently… Read More
2020-11-26 23:44
In order to make commuting easier, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has decided to adopt a new colour-coded system of buses. Named CARISMA (Colour Coding All Routes To… Read More
2020-11-18 21:55
A few months ago, I had shared a picture of a Bajaj Qute operating as an auto-rickshaw in Andheri. Since then, I have seen the Qute several times on the streets of Mumbai. I managed to click… Read More
2020-11-13 22:25
Before the next serious post, here is some light-hearted humour from across the globe. Exactly two years ago a group of Russians in the far-eastern city of Vladivostok decided to do somethin… Read More
2020-11-07 23:40
Several buses operated by the Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) undertaking have been fitted with thermal scanners for passengers to check their body temperature on entry into the bus. The sca… Read More
2020-11-05 21:07
Of all the BEST depots, the most photogenic one of all seems to be the Colaba Depot, mainly due to the location of the Cusrow Bagh Parsi Colony located right next doors. I’ve posted tw… Read More
2020-10-09 23:16
To all those transport enthusiast there who want to study a course related to transport, but not do a Masters in Planning or Engineering, the College of Engineering, Pune (CoEP) has two opti… Read More
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