On January 25, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has cleared a contract to acquire 900 AC electric double-decker buses for the city on a wet-lease basis for 12 years. The accounts state that the project will cost over INR 3,600 crore.
The government of Maharashtra has sanctioned INR 992 crore to the BEST in the Maharashtra Clean Air Project for acquiring the buses.
Maha Cabinet Minister Aaditya Thackeray took to Twitter saying, “The BEST double-decker, now electric! CM Uddhav Thackeray and I have been personally keen on reviving Mumbai’s iconic double-decker buses.” “While doing so, the BEST is procuring 900 of them, fully electric and emission-free. As we increase our BEST fleet, ultimately to 10,000 electric/clean alternate fuel buses, our aim is to have maximum double-decker buses, as this increases our capacity.”
