Mumbai: There is a massive shortfall in the induction of new buses into BEST fleet, resulting in long waits at many stops across the city. While one wet-lease contractor successfully supplied all 250 buses awarded under its contract till August this year, another major contractor entrusted with supplying 4,500 buses over the past four years has delivered only 736 buses so far, leaving a staggering backlog of 3,764 buses, a BEST official informed this newspaper.Data show that only 16% of the contracted fleet has been supplied, despite BEST’s urgent need for more buses. The 4,500-bus contract is split into two—the first, 2,100 buses, where the delay was most visible—the official, who did not wish to be named, said. Only 686 buses have been inducted, with 1,414 still pending. Sources said further deliveries under the project are presently stalled.The picture is worse for the second lot of 2,400 e-buses to be delivered. Against the target of 2,400 buses, only 50 have been supplied so far, leaving 2,350 yet to arrive. Sources close to the contractor said deliveries could accelerate once BEST allows the use of its existing charging and depot infrastructure.The delayed rollout comes at a time when commuters routinely wait 30 to 45 minutes at bus stops and several long-standing routes have been curtailed or withdrawn under BEST’s route rationalisation plan, drawing criticism from residents and commuter groups. BEST currently operates around 2,800 buses, a 15-year low, of which only 249 are owned by BEST. The remaining 2,551 buses are run by private operators under wet-lease arrangements.With the iconic double-decker fleet frozen at around 50 buses for nearly 18 months, hopes are now pinned on BEST’s recently approved Rs 7,027-crore plan to induct 1,500 AC electric midi buses. Of these, 225 buses are expected to arrive under Centre’s PM e-Drive scheme by the end of the year, offering some relief to a transport system struggling to keep pace with demand.
