Travelling in Mumbai buses to get expensive from February

Mumbai: Travel on buses operated by Mumbai’s civic transport undertaking BEST will cost more from next month. [caption id=“attachment_2045737” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters Image[/caption] Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today approved a fare hike of Rs 2 in phases to strengthen the financial condition of cash-strapped BEST undertaking. “The hike in fares that we had proposed to the BMC last year was approved by the House today. Bus fares will increase by Re 1 from 1 February and Re 1 from 1 April,” Manoj Varade, BEST spokesperson, said. The BEST administration had proposed the hike in its budget presented in October last year. Earlier last year, BEST avoided a fare hike after receiving a grant of Rs 150 crore from the Shiv Sena-BJP ruled BMC in an election year. MNS Corporator Sandeep Deshpande said the Shiv Sena “cheated” the people by not approving the fare hike last year in view of the Assembly election. “This fare hike had been proposed last year. But the BMC sat on it because they did not want to upset commuters. BEST has been short of funds for a long time and was in dire need of a fare hike. But they, (Shiv Sena) chose to ignore the BEST’s demands so that they could cheat Mumbaikars,” he said. BEST, which has a fleet of over 4,000 buses, ferries 40 lakh commuters every day. PTI