Overview
- BEST proposed procuring 500 air-conditioned 9‑metre CNG midi buses for Bhandup, Powai, Vikhroli and Kanjurmarg to handle steep, narrow roads where 12‑metre e-buses struggle, with the proposal now before its committee.
- Officials say the smaller buses would also bolster last‑mile links to Metro Lines 1, 2A, 2B, 3, 7 and 9, with at least 315 more midi buses flagged for that feeder role.
- Funding remains unresolved as each bus costs ₹40–50 lakh, and BEST is weighing wet‑lease contracts, government subsidies, or direct support from the BMC after calling a ₹1,000 crore budget line insufficient and seeking a one‑time ₹4,000 crore aid.
- After Sunday’s rollback scare in Bhandup, an internal probe cited a driver who did not set the handbrake, and BEST extended e‑bus driver training to four weeks with mandatory refreshers focused on braking, speed control and handling on slopes.
- Chronic supply gaps persist with only 934 of 4,650 e‑buses delivered, as BEST presses Switch Mobility over a dispute on a mandatory Electronic Vehicle Stability Control device for double‑deckers and urges Olectra to speed output while ₹400 crore in subsidies remain pending.