Mumbai: In an attempt to woo Mumbaikars, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking will offer free bus rides to students of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) affiliated schools.
This comes a week after the civic body announced special schemes for Mumbaikars in the annual BMC budget stating that the transport undertaking will be providing 50 per cent concession to the senior citizens travelling on non-AC buses, while disabled passengers will be given complete concession in bus fares.
The students travelling on the bus routes will be given full concession on routes by showing the ID cards.
“In order to prevent
misuse, the concession in fares will only be given to students during the school timings,” said a senior BEST official.
The officer also informed, the step is a joint effort in order to promote both the BMC administered schools and the transport undertaking.
“The idea of the BMC is to revamp the education infrastructure also BEST is in the process of face-lifting it’s image, hence this step is rolled out to make more students use the bus service, so they are aware of the improved service during the formation years of their lives,” he added.
Earlier on February 4, BMC allotted a grant-in of Rs 1,500 crores to support the cash strapped BEST.
In order to improve the service and generate more revenues, the transport undertaking has roped in more buses on wet-lease.
Out of which 1,200 buses are expected to hit the roads by end of March.
“We are adding more fleets to the buses. In future we are also looking forward to press more bus services on various feeder routes, targeting the office goers and school going children” stated the officer.
