Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking on Thursday signed an agreement to induct 1,500 air-conditioned electric buses into its fleet. The development is expected to give a major boost to Mumbai’s public transport and contribute towards making it more environmentally friendly.
The 9-metre midi buses have been inducted into the fleet of the BEST undertaking as part of the Union government’s PM E-Drive scheme, the Hindustan Times reported.
Restoring discontinued routes
The agreement marks a step towards restoring up to 125 routes that had been discontinued across Mumbai.
Contracts have been awarded on a wet-lease basis to two operators named M/s Mumbai Vidyut Vahan Operation Pvt Ltd and M/s Sai Green EVM Pvt Ltd. This followed a national competitive bidding process conducted by Convergence Energy Services Limited, The Times of India reported.
What is a wet-lease agreement?
A wet-lease agreement means that the buses are procured from a private contractor, who also provides drivers and pays for the maintenance, fuel and insurance.
The BEST undertaking deploys conductors and earns revenue from ticket sales, and gives parking space for the buses at its depots. Under such an arrangement, BEST does not need to purchase or maintain the buses.
Areas to be benefited
The 28-seater buses are expected to give a boost to services in eastern suburbs like Vikhroli, Bhandup and Kanjurmarg, as larger 12-metre buses face difficulties in some of these areas due to narrow roads and steep stretches.
The expansion is expected to give a boost to connectivity to residential areas, metro stations and railway stations.
The additional buses, which will be inducted in a phased manner, will increase the fleet of the BEST undertaking from 400 to about 525.
