MUMBAI, 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 route. After its recent success in reintroducing bus routes 605 and 606 connecting Bhandup railway station with nearby localities, the group is also working on identifying discontinued shorter routes in areas such as Wadala, Prateeksha Nagar, Dahisar, Malvani and Borivali. They are also studying the issues at the level of the depot, which is the heart of bus operations. "BEST discontinues bus routes without informing the public," said IT professional Shubham Padave, adding that his group was working on creating Google forms, which would facilitate the collection of views and data. "We also plan to start signature campaigns at bus stops," he said. The group has proposed feeder routes from Metro rail stations. "There is scope to connect the business locales of BKC, Powai, Goregaon, Vikhroli with various Metro stations, and sourcing buses from the nearest depots will result in quicker turnaround time," said Padave. The IT professional has for months sent emails to the BEST administration and local bus depot managers, flagging the closing down of bus routes but all he has got in return is what he suspects is an automated reply: "Your suggestion has been taken cognisance of but new routes may be operated if found feasible only after the availability of additional buses." Another member Arindam Mahapatra, who is a practicing advocate, highlighted how BEST scrapped bus routes connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai in the name of rationalisation. "There are quite a few long bus routes that I know of, be it C-52 and 503 on the Kalamboli-Wadala route or 511 connecting Nerul and Ghatkopar or A-504 on the Kharghar-Deonar route, which have been either discontinued or short-terminated," he said. "For passengers, it leaves a big unfulfilled gap, as they have lost a trusted public transport arm." The eight don't have an official association but communicate over a WhatsApp group. "We realised that Indian Railways has a fan group, which is very active and consistently works towards bringing about positive change," said Sahil Pusalkar, who works for Tata Consultancy Services. "This is what we desire; to witness BEST once again become punctual, reliable, and the pride that it once was. Mumbai depends on BEST and people still believe in its legacy." Senior officials from BEST, when contacted, said that around 7,000 buses were needed to adequately serve Mumbai's population. For an organisation that used to operate 4,800 buses around 15 to 17 years ago, BEST now has just over 50% of this figure. At present, it has a fleet of around 2,741 buses, with 249 owned buses while the rest are on a wet lease. "We are trying to extend existing short-distance routes or feeder routes that connect railway stations with residential societies and offices. But unless we get more buses from manufacturers, adding more bus routes is very difficult," explained a BEST official. The BEST Undertaking is reeling under an accumulated debt of Rs 10,000 crore, and struggling to get funds from the BMC which has provided financial aid of over Rs 11,300 crore since 2012-13. In October, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asked the Undertaking to increase its non-fare box revenue, setting a target of 40% of total income from sources other than passenger fares. All these are to meet the BEST Undertaking's expenses, salaries, gratuities and funding of wet lease operators who run buses for BEST. Despite carrying nearly 2.5 million passengers daily, BEST remains heavily dependent on civic grants. The Undertaking earns only about Rs 2 crore to Rs 2.5 crore a day from ticket sales, apart from a modest income through selling advertising rights on buses, bus stops, street light poles and depot redevelopment projects. Since May this year, the base fare of BEST had become higher at Rs 10 (non-AC) and Rs 12 (AC) for the first five km. The group of eight has suggested that the first lap of the journey be brought down to three km and the fares lowered to Rs 5 and Rs 10 for non-AC and AC respectively. "We have proposed lower fares for shorter distances and a telescopic benefit with longer slabs," said a group member. Another group member, Mulund resident Gandharva Purohit, said that passengers outside Mumbai precincts preferred taking bus services offered by the Thane Municipal Transport and/or Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport, which are cheaper. "Passengers tend to take TMT or NMMT, as their base fare is Rs 7 for non-AC and Rs 10 for AC up to three km," said Purohit. "BEST does not have a base fare less than Rs 10. In such scenarios, passengers opt for shared auto/cabs. Feeder bus routes in my vicinity such as 370 and 414 were popular but now passengers straightaway take an auto if the wait is more than 10 minutes."...