The BEST had recently reduced its minimum fare from Rs 8 to Rs 5, which substantially increased its passenger traffic from 17 lakh to 25 lakh.The BEST is planning to start a ladies’ special bus service during peak hours along with a new mobile phone application as some of the steps to become a more “public-friendly” transport undertaking.
The ladies’ special will be launched as the ‘Tejaswini Yojana’, in which 37 bus services will be earmarked for women. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking is yet to decide on the routes on which these buses will ply.
Officials said the services were being started to ensure that woman commuters did not have problems travelling by buses during peak hours.
The undertaking is also planning to launch a mobile app through which commuters can see live locations of buses and timetables for particular destinations.
The BEST had recently reduced its minimum fare from Rs 8 to Rs 5, which substantially increased its passenger traffic from 17 lakh to 25 lakh.
Final call on BEST strike today
The final call on whether the BEST Workers Union will go on strike will be decided after a meeting between the administration and union leaders. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, followed by a meeting of BEST workers in the evening. On July 22, days after the fare hike enhanced the ridership by up to 50 per cent, workers threatened an indefinite strike over the “non-completion” of the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked between the administration and unions. The unions have demanded a new wage agreement stating that the last one had lapsed in 2016.
Sashank Rao, a leader of the BEST workers union told The Indian Express that the BEST administration had called a meeting on Tuesday after which they will take a final call on whether to strike or not.
