India, Dec. 8 -- For the last one year, eight people-who found one another on social media platforms owing to their love for BEST buses-have been engaged in a passion project: an attempt to restart bus routes that have disappeared from BEST's timetable. With at least 100 bus routes having been scrapped since 2021, and only 401 currently operational, the group aims to be the voice of the general public deprived of good, reasonably priced road transport.

The group's focus at present is on restoring two long-distance bus routes and a few short ones that connect railway stations to local residential complexes. The two trunk routes under active consideration are 720 L on the Malvani-Bhayandar route and 524 L on the Borivali-Vashi via EEH rout...