After months of complaints, BEST rolls out 48 e-buses for western suburbs | Mumbai news

Mumbai: Long waits at bus stops in the western suburbs have prompted BEST to add 48 electric buses to its fleet. The 12-metre-long, fully air-conditioned buses were inaugurated on Tuesday and will serve areas including Mira Road, Dahisar, Borivali, Kandivali and Malad.

iMumbai, India - November 03, 2026: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking inaugurates 48 new eco-friendly electric buses at the Magathane Bus Depot in Borivali (East), Mumbai, in the presence of the BEST Committee Chairman, General Manager and other dignitaries in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, November 03, 2026. (Photo by / Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)The buses will operate from the Dindoshi and Magathane depots. BEST officials said the additional services would improve frequency on select routes, especially those connecting residential areas with railway stations.

Residents said they had sent several letters and emails to BEST over the past few months, seeking additional buses, extensions to existing routes and new services. They said waiting times at some stops had increased to 20 to 30 minutes, and could reach 45 to 60 minutes during off-peak hours.

“We barely have one or two bus routes and the long waiting time makes it even more frustrating. So we had written several letters and sent emails as well. We are glad that BEST has introduced more buses and we hope that the frequency for railway stations improve,” said Santy Shetty, resident of Lokhandwala in Kandivali and founder of We All Connect (wAc).

Shetty cited route A-289 as a prominent service in the area. In Dahisar, resident Harish Pandey said routes 240 and 245, both air-conditioned, were insufficient to meet commuter demand.

“People are left waiting for 20-30 minutes, which leads to long queues. This is why even the autos come and queue up leading to unwanted traffic jams. And finally when the bus arrives it is already full,” he said.

Corporator Swati Jaiswal, who represents Kandivali East, said residents of several housing societies had complained about the lack of buses. She said she had written to BEST seeking better connectivity and cited routes A-300 and A-479, which connect Kandivali and Borivali railway stations.

A BEST official said the new buses could reduce waiting times to around eight to 10 minutes on select trunk routes connecting railway stations with residential societies and commercial areas. The official acknowledged that service frequency in parts of the western suburbs had declined over recent months.

The buses have been inducted under the wet-lease model. BEST chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao said she had asked the administration to address the demands of residents and their representatives, particularly in residential areas.

BEST’s fleet has fallen from around 4,700 buses in 2010 to fewer than 2,800, with several routes discontinued or shortened. The undertaking expects 150 electric double-decker buses by December and aims to raise its overall fleet strength to 3,500 by next year, a BEST official said.

Shashank Rao is a Senior Assistant Editor having worked for over two decades. He reports on Mass Transportation including Railways and Roadways, Automobiles besides Urban Public Infrastructure. With ear to the ground, he is monitors and reports Mumbai's growth trajectory. He is a Rail fan, passionate about Public Policy. When I'm not busy, I read comics and watch anime and football.Read More