Mumbai's BEST Bus Fare Hike Leads To Sharp Drop In Ridership; Commuters And Experts Blame Unaffordable Fares
The recent hike in bus fares by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has led to a noticeable dip in the number of daily commuters, raising concerns among citizens and transport analysts. The fare hike was implemented on 9th May by the BEST administration.
However, despite several attempts, the BEST administration has not provided the official figures for the number of passengers. Sources said that on 9th May, the number of passengers was recorded at around 23.17 lakh. Similarly, on 10th May, it was 19.58 lakh; on 11th May, 14.81 lakh; on 12th May, 19.82 lakh; and on 13th May, 21.54 lakh — all significantly lower than the average daily ridership of BEST buses recorded in April. In April, the average daily ridership was over 30 lakh.
While BEST officials attribute the decline to the ongoing summer vacation period, which traditionally sees a drop in public transport usage, transport experts argue that the fare increase is the primary cause behind the reduced ridership.
“Every year, we observe a slight dip in passenger numbers during the summer months especially in May , as schools and colleges shut for holidays,” said a senior official of BEST. “This year is no different, and we believe the pattern is consistent with past trends.”
However, transport analysts and regular commuters are not convinced. According to several urban mobility experts, the fare hike has made daily commuting less affordable for many, particularly low-income passengers who depend heavily on public buses for work and other essential travel.
“The dip in ridership is not surprising. Aamchi Mumbai, Aamchi BEST had warned the authorities that the hike would burden the lowest-income commuters and shift many bus users to shared autos and taxis. This will lead to a drop in ridership. It will also worsen traffic congestion and lengthen commuting times, which will affect service quality. Fare hikes have been attempted before, but they did not work. Ridership on BEST between 2009 and 2019 gradually dropped with rising fares, and after public opposition, when fares were reduced, the ridership increased,” said Hussain Indorwala of Aamchi Mumbai, Aamchi BEST.
“Increasing ridership should be the primary objective of public transport policy. The fact that the authorities have increased fares despite knowing that ridership will fall proves once again that they are not interested in promoting affordable public transport, but in enriching private interests, even if it is ruinous for Mumbai,” further added Hussain Indorwala of Aamchi Mumbai, Aamchi BEST.
“The fare hike hits frequent commuters very hard. Instead, BEST should have increased the frequency of all buses to bring some respite to the common man,” said Mohammed Afzal, transport expert.
“Scrap the bus fare hike! Scrap the contractor system, stop privatization! BEST must buy more buses and run them itself! Stop handing over depots to builders!” said Vidyadhar Date, senior journalist and transport expert.
"Such a steep increase in fares, especially in lower slabs of Rs. 5 (100%) and Rs. 10(50%) originally is going to affect passengers from lower income groups heavily who depend upon the BEST service for commuting from their homes to railway or Metro stations or directly to their place of work. They will either walk or go for share taxi or rickshaw. BEST should have increased those fares to max Rs.7 and Rs. 12" said AV Shenoy, co founder of Mumbai Mobility Forum and noted transport expert of the city.
Commuters have also expressed their dissatisfaction. “I used to spend around Rs 10 per day, but now it’s gone up to Rs 20, which is almost the same as a shared auto-rickshaw fare,” said Ramesh Jadhav, a daily wage worker from Kurla.
“It’s too convenient to blame summer vacations,” said Arvind Sahani from Ghatkopar. “The drop in ridership closely followed the fare hike. It’s evident that the cost increase has discouraged many from using BEST services.”
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