Mumbai: BEST is preparing for a major shift in its bus operations, with plans to gradually move away from dependence on wet-lease buses and build a fleet of 5,000 self-owned vehicles, including a large electric bus component.Speaking to media after a panel meeting on Tuesday, BEST general manager Sonia Sethi said the undertaking currently has more wet-lease buses than BEST-owned vehicles as its own fleet has steadily shrunk over the years. “However, in the long term, BEST plans to own 5,000 e-buses and expand its overall fleet to 10,000 buses over the next two to three years to meet the mobility needs of Mumbai’s growing population,” she said.To achieve the target of 5,000 owned buses, BEST will require funding of around Rs 6,500 crore. Sethi said a decision on the funding mechanism will be taken at an upcoming BEST committee meeting. The undertaking will examine whether the project should be financed through govt support or by raising its own resources.The move follows directions from deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and is aimed at restoring the operating model that BEST followed for decades. The self-owned buses will account for half of the fleet.BEST currently operates around 2,800 buses and is expected to receive 1,500 wet-lease electric buses under the Centre’s PM e-Bus initiative, which provides financial support until 2027. Beyond that period, the undertaking intends to focus on acquiring its own buses rather than relying on private operators.Sethi further said that BEST also plans to revive the traditional operating model under which the undertaking owned and maintained its buses and employed its own drivers. According to Sethi, cost-cutting measures introduced in 2019, including a recruitment freeze and increased dependence on wet-lease buses, were adopted to reduce financial pressure and secure support from the BMC. “We now want to reverse many of those decisions,” she said.Signalling a shift away from its dependence on wet-lease operations, Sethi now announced plans to recruit its own bus drivers as part of a broader strategy to gradually rebuild a predominantly self-owned fleet. She said special funds will be earmarked for fresh recruitments, allowing the undertaking to return to its earlier model of operating buses with its own trained workforce. Sethi said the move aims to revive a system that had served Mumbai efficiently for decades, when BEST-owned buses were operated by permanent drivers and were known for better maintenance, safety standards and service reliability. Officials say they believe the decision will help strengthen accountability, improve driver discipline and enhance commuter confidence as BEST expands its fleet in the coming years.The announcement comes amid scrutiny following a series of recent bus accidents. Officials said the objective is to restore public confidence in BEST by improving fleet quality, driver discipline, safety and reliability while creating a modern, largely electric public transport system for Mumbai.
