Mumbai: 300 sleek, functional BEST bus stops in 100 days

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) on Wednesday announced its 100-day upgradation plan for 300 bus stops. As a pilot project, 10 of them, including Marine Drive and Haji Ali, will be equipped with smart utilities for improved travel experience. 

The other features include CCTV camera, braille signage / panels for easy navigation by differently abled citizens, new age structural design with tilted seating, skid free and tactile flooring, increased bus bay, provision of public bicycle sharing facilities, colour indication for arrivals, mist cooling system, SOS panic button, public address system, podcast and thematic music, library /e-library, toughened glass panels for seamless 360-degree visibility and first aid kits.

Another 200 bus queue shelters will also be included in this 100-day plan. A senior BEST official said that 50 other bus queue shelters will be rebuilt with digital Mupis (outdoor information panel used for advertising or public information) in line with the government’s Digital India vision.

Some other bus stops included in the first phase are on the airport route and the new Metro lines 2A and 7 on the Western Express Highway, with one on Link Road.

General manager of BEST, Lokesh Chandra, said that the plan is part of a recent announcement made by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, emphasising the need to beautify roads and footpaths in the city. “As BEST stop shelters are also part of the city infrastructure, they too will be revamped to be more visually appealing,” he said.