140 New Buses Lie Idle as BEST Fleet Hits Two-Decade Low

Mumbai, India: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST) is facing a severe fleet shortage, with numbers dropping to 2,799 buses, the lowest in two decades. Adding to the crisis, 140 new electric buses from Olectra Greentech have been lying idle at Ghatkopar and Vikhroli depots for over a month due to new driver training protocols introduced after the December 9 BEST accident, which claimed 10 lives and injured 40 people.

The mandatory 28-day driver training has delayed the deployment of these buses, raising concerns about staff management. Hussain Indorewala, co-convenor of Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST, criticized the lack of trained personnel, stating that better workforce planning could have prevented this situation.

Recruitment is ongoing to increase the number of drivers, especially for Olectra Greentech, which is owned by Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. Meanwhile, experts argue that BEST should own and operate its fleet to maintain operational flexibility, rather than relying on wet lease operators like Olectra, Switch Mobility, Tata Motors, and Evey Trans Pvt Ltd.