Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) has levied a ₹17 lakh fine on Tata Motors for not integrating over 250 buses with Chalo App causing inconvenience to passengers in locating buses on the mobile application, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
This occurs at a time when the BEST initiative received an allocation of ₹800 crores from the most recent budget of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to enhance the overall passenger experience.
The Chalo App
One of its major initiatives, connecting buses to the Chalo App, is still unfinished because the bus manufacturer has not yet done so for the BEST fleet of buses.
“There are over 250 plus buses of Tata Motors that are yet to be integrated with the Chalo App. Due to this, passengers are facing problems in locating buses on routes. We have levied a fine of ₹17 lakh on Tata Motors till now. We have been assured that these buses will be compliant to our needs,” a senior BEST official said, as reported by Hindustan Times.
The Chalo App allows passengers to view the location of a bus in real-time and plan the journey. There are 1.35 lakh users of the app.
Tata Motors' claims
Meanwhile, Tata Motors claimed that they share a strong working relationship with the BEST. In an email reply to Hindustan Times, a spokesperson for the vehicle manufacturer said, "Tata Motors has supplied 340 electric buses to the BEST. We manufacture and supply buses in accordance with the specifications of every tender."
"All buses provided to the BEST, both directly and indirectly, have a vehicle tracking device pre-installed conforming to the tender specification. For seamless integration with the Chalo App, these buses are being fitted with a different tracker. This activity is scheduled to be completed over the next two weeks, subject to the buses being made available for the requisite fittings."
According to Tata Motors, they have provided more than 730 electric buses to various cities throughout the nation, totaling more than 55 million kilometres. Additionally, it has a substantial order book for 2,421 electric buses.
The BEST, on the other hand, transports 35 lakh passengers daily with a fleet of about 3,400 buses. The project aims to add 3,000 more e-buses in the upcoming year in order to improve public transportation and build a "green fleet", as reported by Hindustan Times.
