BEST news: Share-autos, cabs cut fares to keep up with buses

Wednesday's BEST news: Auto-rickshaws and black-and-yellow cabs, that ply on share-basis on fixed routes, shaved Rs 3 to 5 off their fare, per passenger, in response to the drop in public bus fares. And about seven lakh more people took the bus.

Taxi union leader AL Quadros said he had heard of some cabbies lowering fares for share-cabs on the Dadar Station-KEM hospital route and Charkop to Kandivali Station route. "It is possible that drivers might have decided to do this on their own," said Shashank Rao, president of Mumbai Auto Rickshawmen's Union. "It needs to be checked if these share auto stands have been approved in the first place". Sources in the RTO said that they will have to check whether these share auto and taxi stands are legal.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) saw a good 29.31% rise in daily passengers on Tuesday, two days after the price drop of Rs 5; however, their earnings came down by 31.55%. On an average, BEST's daily passenger count is around 25 lakh and it earns Rs two-three crore daily. Tuesday, the first day of the new ticket price, saw about 7 lakh more people taking the bus. For the first time in several years, the number of daily BEST passengers has also increased.

Over the last decade or so, the number of passengers had dropped from 42 lakh to 23 lakh.

Daily ticket sales comprise 90 percent of the total sales revenue for the undertaking, with season passes making up the rest. Buses plying from Oshiwara depot to the western suburbs saw the highest jump – 47.74%. The lowest increase was experienced by Magathane depot at only 14%. Buses ply in and around Borivali from here, with some going up to Mira Road and beyond in the northern suburbs.

The drop in revenue was not unexpected: Tuesday's revenue was down by around Rs 9-10 lakh. "We are a public transport undertaking and our first objective is to increase number of daily passengers," said a BEST official.

Revenue Down

• Tuesday’s ticket sales were down by Rs 9-10 lakh from the average Rs 2-3 crore a day 
• However, the drop in revenue was expected and has not fazed BEST officials 
• Over the last decade, the number of daily BEST passengers had dropped from 42 lakh to 23 lakh