With electric double deckers set to hit Mumbai, BEST fans share hopes and fears

"The real problem in Mumbai is the road and space shortage and it can be managed efficiently by using double decker buses," says Ashok Datar, a city-based transport analyst, who believes buses and autorickshaws in combination can help solve Mumbai's commuting woes. Travelling in Mumbai has been a perennial challenge, despite the life-saving local trains, especially because of growing traffic snarls. Rather than cars which only crowd up the road, buses seem to be the ideal solution- not just because they are cheaper but also because they carry more people, reducing the negative impact on the environment.

Public transport in Mumbai received encouraging news in late January, when the Maharashtra Minister of Tourism and Environment, Aaditya Thackeray, announced that Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) is procuring 900 AC electric double-decker buses to run in the city. This marks the revival of the double decker format, albeit in a new eco-friendly avatar. The BEST had first introduced double decker buses in 1937, 11 years after it introduced the single decker bus. The iconic buses enjoyed peak popularity in the 1980s and 1990s but have since seen a decline, and the last of them were slated to be phased out by October 2023. As its number of commuters fell over the years, the organisation had struggled to run double deckers because they require two conductors whereas single deckers can do with one.

With the increasing need to move towards a sustainable future, the latest initiative seems promising. "The double-decker buses will help for the simple reason that they will help carry more people in less space by having one more floor," explains Datar. However, the city expert says there is a lot to consider before the first fleet makes its way to the road.

Taking the road less travelled
As the city already grapples with crowded roads, Datar cautions that it would be foolish to use double decker buses without proper planning. "I have noticed that there are overhanging trees in many places and there may be problems with using the double deckers there. There are several areas in BKC in the bus lanes, where trees would hit the buses. Cutting the branches would be advisable, instead of the whole tree," he recommends.

Using them in dedicated bus lanes would be ideal, he feels because the buses can carry more people in fewer square metres. Datar explains, "We have been recommending that the Western Express Highway should have a bus lane for many years because it has heavy traffic during the day." However, the city-based analyst, who is also an economist, says the government has been ignoring that to focus more on the metros. "Metros are fine but they are not needed because they are frightfully expensive. So, they should be used only when the traffic is high. Otherwise, they will make huge losses and become like white elephants."

The recent Budget 2022 announcements haven't made him happier either as he says they are all pro-private transport. Putting faith in buses, he says, is more convenient because the city only needs to add a bus lane on major routes, which will involve minor investments and can be done in three-four months. "It does not require five-six months to construct and input costs for cement and steel," he says.

Citing the widespread use of buses in London, Datar believes this mode of public transport can be used intelligently, especially in a crowded city like Mumbai. "A car will carry only two or three people but a bus, even though it takes three times more space, carries 15 times more people," he adds. So, imagine how much a double decker would help.

He also highlights the lack of regulated or paid parking, which hampers the use of roads to their fullest. Having to pay for parking or having limited parking spaces will dissuade people from using cars, and that would in turn reduce the traffic on the road. "The only people who need space are those who own cars and should they not pay for parking in public space?" he questions.

Electrifying the future
While the future of electric vehicles seems bright, there is more to work towards if we want to make sustainable and people-friendly transport, says Datar. "The electric buses are zero-emission and noiseless but let's not forget the other side. Electricity doesn't eliminate the pollution which is generated because of thermal energy. We have to reduce our use of thermal power too," he adds. In 2021, the BEST announced that it was going to switch from thermal energy to solar energy to charge its fleet of 386 electric buses.

Like Datar, Prashant Chindarkar, a city-based bus enthusiast who is currently studying to be a doctor, points out that although the buses will be electric, the use of thermal energy will still not mean that it is completely sustainable. He explains, "The electric buses use Lithium-ion batteries. To be more sustainable than the emission-causing diesel buses, the proper planning for the disposal of these batteries will have to be done. Otherwise, it will be a problem in the long run." Chindarkar also sees air-conditioning as another issue because he has observed that they often don't work and thus require timely maintenance. He believes that non-AC buses are more fuel efficient and with better range too. "Air conditioning leads to a parasitic power loss." However, the fact that the buses will reduce pollution for city residents keeps him hopeful about the new development.

The 23-year-old may seem younger than most people you would expect to be documenting and talking about BEST buses, but he has been a die-hard fan since childhood. On his five-year-old Instagram page, ‘Vaat Pahin Pn Best Nech Jaeen', he has been posting vintage pictures, information about number plates, bus makes and interesting tidbits about public transport. Having travelled by bus for most of his life to school, college and to relatives' homes around the city, Chindarkar is a walking encyclopedia about buses, who bases some of his research on the internet and the mParivahan mobile application.

Chindarkar feels the BEST buses will lose their identity because the new ones look just like any other modern vehicle. While he accepts the change, he is going to miss the charm of double deckers of the past. "The older buses have a sense of nostalgia and personification; the new ones don't seem like that," feels the enthusiast. Even though it's a long shot, Chindarkar wishes there was a way to incorporate the new electric technology in the old design. Many enthusiasts of buses and public transport will wistfully agree, as bus travel inevitably rolls into the electric future.

Read More: Mumbai: First AC double-decker e-bus to hit city roads next week