MUMBAI, Jan. 13 -- Nearly 40 per cent of Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) buses will be unavailable for commuters for two days starting Tuesday night, as over a thousand buses are being used for election duty ahead of the civic polls scheduled for Thursday. According to BEST officials, 1,065 buses will be deployed for election-related work from Monday night until Thursday, leading to a noticeable reduction in bus availability across the city. The shortage is expected to increase waiting time at bus stops and affect trip schedules. "These buses will not operate at full strength during this period, which may impact passenger waiting times and journey durations," a BEST official said. The buses-both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned-will be used to transport polling staff, electronic voting machines (EVMs), and other election material to polling booths across Mumbai. BEST's total fleet currently stands at 2,743 buses, of which 2,494 are on wet lease. The strain on public transport comes amid large-scale usage of private and commercial vehicles for election purposes. More than 3,400 auto-rickshaws, taxis, buses, cars and tempos have already been deployed for election duty across Mumbai. The fleet includes open jeeps, mini trucks and vans fitted with LED display boards. Party workers said such vehicles are being deployed for cultural programmes and high-visibility outreach to attract voters. Official data as of January 9 shows that the Andheri RTO has issued permissions to 99 vehicles, the highest among Mumbai's RTOs. It is followed by Mumbai Central RTO with 27 vehicles, Wadala RTO with 16, and Borivali RTO with one vehicle. "To ensure timely issuance of permits, RTO offices in Mumbai had set up 'special cells' that granted permissions to these vehicles being used for the election campaign," said an official from the Transport Department....