There was a time when migrants were advised to rely on Mumbai’s public bus transport for road commutes in the city. I’m one such migrant who shifted from a place where city bus transport existed only symbolically. My first intra-city commute after getting down from the train at Dadar was bus travel to my friend’s place in the western suburbs. It cost me less than what I paid for a plate of snacks. I fell in love with BEST buses. I wondered how skilfully and carefully the well-mannered drivers worked on congested city roads. The conductors amazed me with their ‘stand-up’ performances. They moved consistently up and down to sell tickets to joyful and cranky passengers with same ease. I would wish bus conductors on state (MSRTC) transport buses, too, extended the same courtesy to their valued passengers. There were so many things I would compare between BEST and MSRTC, which, as a public undertaking, had been working very well then. Over the past two decades, both have lost their glory. Nevertheless, I would still prefer BEST if it suits my travel needs.

Even now, BEST, despite its weaknesses and inefficiency, continues to be the most affordable mode of transport along with the suburban railway network. No matter the fatal accidents that killed about a dozen people in separate incidents involving BEST buses over the last week, city commuters haven’t entirely lost faith in the age-old mode of transport. They both curse and praise. They hope BEST recovers from the bad phase and doesn’t go bust or get privatised. Fears are plenty. Solutions are not.  The long routes have been cut down, forcing passengers to switch over/change buses twice or thrice on their way to far-off destinations. Insiders say that 550 routes have been reduced to 350. Popular routes have been discontinued. Newly acquired double-decker buses are too tall to ply on certain routes. It is a planning/survey handicap.