look news india
Mumbai: Over the past 15 years, the population of the Mumbai metropolis has increased but the number of tourists is declining. In 2009, 44 lakh tourists were registered on the best day but now the average has come down to 35 lakh. This reduction has had a significant impact on BEST's revenue. The issue of tourists' dissatisfaction with the existing bus service has been coming to the fore for a long time.
One of the reasons for the decline in the number of tourists is that in the last decade, many road and project works have been started in the city due to which the BEST bus service has been disrupted. Buses were diverted to longer routes or alternate routes instead of the original route. Still, tourists started avoiding traveling by bus. There are also reports of reduction in bus frequency and closure of some routes from Dadar to Prabhadevi Worli, Byculla, CST, Pratikshanagar, Jijamata Udyan, Nariman Point, Bandra East and West, Borivali and Wadala. Usher is falling on many routes due to BEST buses being dirty. Complaints of long queues at bus stops are coming from the tourism section.
The rising purchase of two-wheelers, the launch of metro services in the city in a decade and a half, besides the continuous and irregular service of BEST are also believed to be the reasons for the fall in the number of commuters.
Save the BEST campaign has been launched to address the challenges faced by BEST and to increase public support. It aims to involve Mumbaikars in the campaign by raising awareness through various external efforts including local Ganesh Mandals and garner support to increase bus service and eliminate faults.
