After multiple failed attempts to introduce dedicated bus lanes in the past; the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) is once again trying to make another attempt at it. With a new fleet of electric buses joining the BEST, the Undertaking is mulling operating dedicated bus lanes now. This comes after it failed to successfully implement it back in 2015 and then in 2019.
Sources in BEST said that they will now hold series of meetings with different agencies like Mumbai Traffic Police, RTOs and the BMC for making it right this time. “We are planning to reintroduce dedicated bus corridor. The administration is working on a plan for the same,” said Ashish Chemburkar, Chairman, BEST Committee.
Some of the routes that experts are suggesting which could be worked out on are Haji Ali to Kandivali via Bandra Worli Sea Link, Bandra Kurla Complex towards Santacruz Chembur Link Road via Western Express Highway and likewise on the Eastern Express Highway from Sion towards Mulund. In the past, they had implemented it on BKC-Mahalaxmi and Worli Naka, Byculla to Sion both of which failed due to poor maintenance of lane bollards, illegal parking, inadequate buses and little care of following rules by other motorists.
“In fact, with the bus lane as per the past actual experience of the pilot project at BKC, the system could run more than 100 buses per hour and very well use at a frequency of less than one minute and BEST buses ran 20 percent faster,” said Ashok Datar, Transport expert who has studied dedicated bus lanes.
The BEST is expanding its fleet of electric buses and on Saturday introduced at least 20 e-buses that are 12-meters long. The electric buses fuel cost is less than half of conventional fossil fuels. Sources said that with more buses joining the fleet, they plan to provide buses with a waiting period of less than 15 minutes. the BEST also plans to introduce these e-buses on selective end-to-end routes connecting societies and railway stations for faster movement.
