India, Oct. 30 -- Faced with a fast-dwindling fleet, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport undertaking (BEST) is exploring legal action against private manufacturers, to get them to keep their commitment to supply new buses.

The BEST administration is consulting the Union finance ministry and ministry of heavy industries to seek their advice on dealing with a deadlock with manufacturers and wet-lease operators, particularly Switch Mobility and Olectra Greentech.

The undertaking currently operates a fleet of 2,638 buses, which includes 298 of its own buses and 2,340 wet-leased vehicles. The number is lower than just four days previously, when ten of the undertaking's buses were retired.

"Considering the fast-depleting fleet,...