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Mumbai: As it marks 61 years on the road, Mumbai's iconic BEST (acronym for Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking) is eager to wean more motorists away from their cars.
And in an effort to show they mean business, top BEST officials are getting municipal chiefs and leading political figures, not to mention Mayor Shubha Raul and television personality Smriti Irani, to hitch bus rides to hit the road with their campaign.
Authorities are hoping their efforts will raise awareness among those who shun public transport. The BEST's initiative comes at a time when Mumbai's roads are clogged, particularly during peak hours, with private cars adding to the daily traffic snarls.
An increase in the number of buses from the present fleet of 3,629 to 4,000 by March 2009 as well as luxury buses will inspire confidence in car owners to travel by bus, BEST bosses reckon.
Over 71 airconditioned buses as well as trial runs of low-floor buses, installation of telephones in some vehicles and improved services have all gone towards making a good start.
"A recent study undertaken by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has revealed that the King Long bus service has brought down over 400 cars on the city's roads per day as commuters are opting for its service," says BEST General Manager Uttam Khobragade.
Mobile museum
As part of the celebrations today, a "Museum on Wheels" will be inaugurated by BEST Committee Chairman Pravin Chheda at Colaba depot. The mobile museum will offer a city tour from the depot. BEST employees will stage 100 short plays at various places on the history and transition of the service right from the era of trams. The BEST, which came under the municipality in 1947, started as a Bombay Tramway Company in 1873, with double-decker trams being introduced in 1929 and the double-decker buses, that still ply today, in 1937.
The primary role of the BEST has been to supplement suburban railways which carry millions of commuters daily. It is for this reason that the BEST accords priority to feeder routes - from railway stations to residential complexes and business districts. Enhancement of the east-west connectivity where the railways have no or little role to play is also high on the priority list. Another major role is that of an alternative to the suburban railway servicing the same corridor - from people's homes in the north to office areas in the south in the mornings and vice-versa in the evenings.
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